Kuroko-chan no Yabō
by LittleMissWolfie
Summary: When Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya entered Seirin, they never expected their lives to become intertwined. But now she is his shadow and he is her light. They vowed to each other that night to crush the remaining Generation of Miracles. And they will. Kaga/fem!Kuro, overprotective GoM, T for language.
1. The Phantom Member

Chapter One: The Phantom Player

**Hello to my (old and new) readers~**

**If you already know who I am, welcome again, and if you've just stumbled upon me, welcome to my…**_**interesting**_** world. I hope you enjoy this.**

**Okay, I **_**literally**_** just found out about KnB yesterday when I was looking up AMVs for Gold Forever by The Wanted on YouTube. I make a point not to watch an AMV if I haven't seen/read a little of the material in question and…the rest in history!**

**Okay, my Kuroko will be VERY OOC, because following canon too closely is boring. If you have any questions about anything, please put it in your reviews and I'll answer it in the next chapter's beginning AN. Please note that I'll be using the Japanese way of saying names (family name, given name). I've always liked that method when writing. Also, I'll try (key word being "try") to update every Saturday since it's summer now, but I make no promises. I really hope you enjoy this story. I **_**do**_** accept constructive criticism, so feel free to give me a few tips.**

* * *

_Teikou Middle School Basketball Club. A super strong school with more than 100 club members, boasting several successive championship wins. But even within that glorious history, there is still a team that can without fail be called the "strongest" - a generation of five players with talents that you would see once every ten years called the "Generation of Miracles." But there was a strange rumor that there was still one person the five geniuses acknowledged as superior..._

* * *

_Seirin Private High School_

Students were crowded into the courtyard of Seirin Academy as the variety of clubs attempted to recruit the incoming first-years. Cherry blossom petals were falling gently, as it was spring. Spring, she decided, was a time for new beginnings, and a new beginning it would be.

"Interested in rugby?"

"Have you ever played shogi?"

"You've _gotta_ play baseball if you're Japanese!"

"Swimming! It feels great!"

And, finally: "Basketball! Basketball club!" An odd looking second-year stood in the middle of the crowd, waving pamphlets around like his life depended on it. His eyes were closed and his mouth, she decided, was rather feline-like in appearance. He was slightly tanned, most likely from his training, and his hair was a dark shade of brown, almost to the point of being black. "How'd you like to join the basketball club?"

Of course, nothing anyone was saying was directed at her. Why would it? After all, her specialty was being invisible.

Another second-year turned to the first, scowling. He looked more normal, with paler skin and a human-like face. "Koganei, you can't be serious."

"How else am I supposed to say it?" Koganei demanded, eyes opening.

The other guy held up a finger. "New kids, join the basketball club! The basketball club needs some serious help!"

A pause. Then, "I've had enough of your jokes, Izuki." Koganei turned over his shoulder and called, "Mitobe, make sure they hear you!"

Mitobe, another second-year with longer black hair and almost glazy eyes, nodded reassuringly and continued to silently offer up fliers.

Koganei face-faulted. "You're not gonna do it, are you?" he asked rhetorically.

More clubs continued yelling their names out. "Hey, you're a reader, right?"

"Join the art club! Express yourself in an artistic way!"

"Come make music with us!"

As the second-year basketball club members continued handing out fliers, an intimidating boy walked up to them. He was easily over six feet tall, and his short, messy hair was somewhere between blood and brick red, his eyes retaining the same shade. His skin was very tan, and even under his school uniform it was obvious how well-built he was. "Is this the basketball club?" he asked in a deep, rumbling voice.

Back at the club table, Coach Aida Riko sighed, flipping her short, light brown hair out of her face. "Just a few more would be nice," she grumbled to the club's captain, Hyuuga Junpei.

"We couldn't even get ten," Hyuuga agreed. Hyuuga was very tall, and his skin was tan. His glasses were a bit foggy because he hadn't had time to clean them that morning.

"We're just getting started!" Aida insisted. "We're a new school. If we win the Inter-High and Winter Cup, we'll be a big deal starting next year!"

Hyuuga narrowed his eyes in what could have been called a playful glare. "Are you casually putting pressure on your captain?"

"Hyuuga-kun, have you always been so delicate?" she teased.

Hyuuga groaned and slammed his forehead into the table, nearly toppling the cup of coffee he had on it, his hands still raised in the position he'd been holding his head up in. "I'll do my best. I will do my best," he said.

"I wonder how the recruitment is going." Aida said off-handedly. "If they could just bring in some promising ones, that would be…"

She'd trailed off when Koganei's limp form was dangled over the table, held by the tall redhead. "The new students are here," Koganei whimpered, tears streaming down his face.

"What?"

It was then that Aida noticed the redhead. She and Hyuuga stared, wide-eyed at him, as he asked, "Is this the basketball club?"

Aida nodded.

"I want to join," he said. He dropped Koganei in a chair and sat in the other, pulling it up to the table violently.

"Um, welcome, welcome!" Aida said excitedly.

The boy ignored the rest of her chatter as he signed the papers. Then he stood and left as quickly as he'd come.

Aida and Hyuuga looked at the sign-up form.

_Kagami Taiga. _ He'd left his reason for joining blank, as well, confusing both second-years.

"He's terrifying!" Koganei whimpered, face pale. "Is he really a first-year student?!"

"He's one in a million," Izuki said, appearing suddenly with Mitobe behind him.

Koganei leapt up and pointed an accusing finger at his teammates. "Where the hell have you been? I just got kidnapped!"

Hyuuga continued to look at the paper. "Kagami-kun went to middle school in America. Must have learned from the source."

"Either way, I'm sure he'll be extraordinary," Aida confidently said, already imagining the team with a first-place tournament trophy.

"Yo," Koganei said suddenly. "You forgot this one." In his fingers was another club sign-up sheet.

"Ah, sorry." Aida plucked it from his fingers and read aloud. "Kuroko Tetsuya…huh?" She held it up closer to her face. "I was here the whole time, and I didn't notice him—eh?"

Kuroko Tetsuya, whoever he was, had been a part of the Teikou Middle School basketball club. And if he was a first year, he had to have been from the Generation of Miracles.

* * *

That afternoon, all of the basketball club members gathered in the gymnasium, wearing casual cloth clothes for the impending exercises they would surely be forced to do.

Aida introduced herself to the boys, not noticing the one person that stood at the end of the line. Needless to say, all of the first-years were shocked (and some were kind of turned on, honestly) to find that a girl just a year older than them was their coach. One boy thought that their elderly advisor was their coach and was mortified when Aida corrected him.

"Now that you guys are acquainted with Takeda-sensei," she said, pacing in front of them, "take off your shirts!"

There was a moment of disbelieving silence. Once again, the first-years yelled out in surprise, some blushing slightly at the prospect of such a cute girl seeing them shirtless. "Why?!" they demanded as one.

Aida smirked.

Eventually, all of the first-years were bare-chested. Aida paced in front of them, taking the time to stare at each chest carefully and decide their stats. As she did so, she made comments on their physical abilities, stunning every one of the first-years. _How could she tell those things just by looking at them?_ Hyuuga clarified that her father was a sports trainer, and Aida had inherited his ability to see an athlete's statistics on sight.

When Aida got to Kagami, she was literally blown away for a moment. _How could a first-year have those kinds of stats?!_

Hyuuga snapped her out of her trance. "That's all of them. Kagami was the last one."

"Really?" Aida asked, looking at her clipboard. "Uh, is there a Kuroko Tetsuya here?"

"Right here."

Aida blinked and screamed, taking several steps backward and away from the person that had magically appeared in front of her. Kuroko was still wearing a loose white tee-shirt, though Aida swore she could see more fabric underneath. He had light blue hair that reached to his chin and eyes to match and he was much shorter than normal. He was also way too skinny, in her opinion.

"W-what?" Hyuuga said, slightly terrified. "How long have you been there?"

"I've been here the whole time," Kuroko said in a weirdly high voice.

Almost everyone in the room had the same thought at the same time: _He's practically invisible!_

The second-years began to chatter nervously. _How could he be part of the Generation of Miracles? There was no way he'd been a starter!_

"I played in games," Kuroko corrected blandly.

Hyuuga and Koganei both exclaimed at that, seemingly speechless.

Kagami, on the other hand, wondered what they were talking about. What was the Generation of Miracles?

Aida had seemingly recovered. "T-take off your shirt!" she demanded of Kuroko.

Kuroko looked a bit taken aback. "Huh?"

"Take it off!"

After a moment of deliberation, Kuroko shrugged and took off his shirt.

Everyone stared blankly at _her_ sports-bra covered chest in shock for a moment. Aida, however was the most shocked.

* * *

On the bus home that day, Aida stared blankly out the window as her music blasted in her ears. _Who is she?_ she wondered of Kuroko. _Her stats are way too low for her to have been part of the Generation of Miracles. Her numbers are all below average. On top of that, she's almost at her limit._

* * *

Kagami grunted as he took a shot at the basket in the starlight, the air filled with the scent of his sweat. He'd abandoned his blazer and school shirt for a muscle shirt to show off his well-toned arms as he practiced, though he left his slacks on. He'd left his practice shorts in his new gym locker.

To say he was pissed was an understatement. As Aida messed with Kuroko that afternoon, he pulled aside one of the other first-years. "What's the Generation of Miracles?"

"They're a group of five basketball prodigies that went to the same middle school last year. They were undefeated. There've been rumors about a sixth phantom member, but I never thought it'd be a _girl!_"

Kagami growled at the memory and shot again. _If that bitch was part of the Generation of Miracles, I'd hate to see what the rest of them are like. This is so disappointing!_ The ball bounced back and he grabbed it and aimed.

Suddenly he saw a flash of light blue out of the corner of his eye and he fumbled, missing the shot. The ball fell into Kuroko's hands.

Kuroko was wearing her uniform now, and her femininity was _much_ more obvious with the skirt. She seemed to have switched her sports bra out for a cup bra, making her chest a bit more pronounced under her blazer. Her eyes were still blank, like they'd been at practice. It only served to piss Kagami off more. "When did you get here?" he demanded.

"It's nice to see you, Kagami-kun," she said softly instead.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kagami tried again.

"What are _you_ doing here by yourself?" she shot back, tossing the ball with surprising accuracy. It was easy for Kagami to catch, though he didn't quite notice it then. He would later, though. Most girls wouldn't be able to know how hard to throw a basketball to get it a certain distance, and they certainly wouldn't know how to let someone else catch it.

"Nothing," Kagami said, "I'm not doing anything."

"Is that so?"

Kagami ignored her. "I lived in America until my second year of middle school. I've been appalled ever since I came back by how low the standards are here. I'm not looking to play basketball for fun."

That last sentence got a wince out of her, though Kagami didn't quite catch it. Later, as he replayed that fateful conversation over in his head on some sleepless night, he'd wonder how he hadn't picked it up. It would've saved him a lot of trouble in the long run if only he'd been more perceptive during those first few weeks he'd spent with her.

Kuroko easily caught the ball when Kagami threw it at her and he continued talking. "I can tell those who work hard, because they smell strong. The weak smell weak. But you…I can't smell _anything_ from you. Your strength has no scent."

"I'd show you my strength," Kuroko deadpanned, "but I'm wearing a skirt."

"I'm aware of that!" Kagami snarled. "How strong are you then?"

"You're stronger than me, Kagami-kun. I knew that when I saw you during recruitment."

Kagami groaned and turned away from her. "What the hell are you doing here so late at night?"

Kuroko casually said, "I wanted to see just _how_ strong you were for myself."

Kagami growled once again and moved to put his shirt on. It felt weird to have a woman's gaze on his back while he dressed, but he told himself to dismiss it. "You should quit basketball," he said as he was about to leave. "You don't have the talent."

"I won't quit, because I love basketball."

Kagami whipped around to stare at Kuroko. "Huh?"

"I'm not like you," she continued, looking behind her at the black blur of her form on the park's basketball court. "I'm a shadow."

Kagami groaned and stalked away from Kuroko and the court angrily.

* * *

It was raining the next day as the basketball club gathered in the gymnasium. The first-years put on yellow jerseys and the second-years put on blue. It was (unfortunately, in the minds of some first-years) time for their first practice match. Kagami, however, delighted in the fact that they were already facing their seniors. "It's better to have strong opponents than weak ones," he said as he strode confidently to the center of the court for tip-off.

_Time to see what these rookies can do,_ Aida thought somewhat sadistically, and she blew the whistle.

The first-years got the ball first, thanks to Kagami. As soon as he regained control of the ball, he violently dunked it in their hoop, nearly crushing Izuki in the process. Kagami proceeded to make up the vast majority of the first-years' points, and to everyone else it was as if he was playing by himself—not with a team. Though no one noticed, it made Kuroko clench her fists.

On the off occasions that Kuroko had the ball, the second-years quickly took it from her, much to Kagami's chagrin. _Can't she even _hold on to _a basketball?_ he mentally snarled, his anger quickly spiking. _She can't play for shit!_

They were trailing 11-8, and the second-years were starting to get pissed off. _Who knew first-years could be so good? _Izuki wondered.

He and Hyuuga exchanged looks. "Time to put them in their place," Hyuuga said, an evil glint in his eye. Izuki nodded.

The second-years kept at least two people on Kagami, even when he didn't have the ball. _They're desperate to stop Kagami!_ one first-year thought. _They have no intention of letting him have the ball!_

Eventually the score was 31-15 in the second-years' favor. The first-years began to whimper, and that just pissed Kagami off even more. He lifted one up by the front of his shirt. "Enough?" he demanded of him. "What the hell do you mean?"

Suddenly he felt a slight force hit the underside of his knees, making his legs buckle. An infuriatingly-familiar voice said, "Please calm down."

Kagami turned and glared at Kuroko. "You bitch…" he growled. The other first-years became terrified just watching the exchange, though Kuroko herself wasn't even breaking a sweat.

Koganei watched them nervously. "It looks like they're fighting," he commented. Suddenly Izuki's eyes widened and he leaned forward. "What's wrong?"

Izuki pointed to Kuroko. "Was she in the game?"

"Kuroko? I dunno."

Aida, hearing the exchange, sweatdropped. _Even _I_ don't know, and I'm the referee._ Then another thought occurred to her, making her jaw go slack and her whistle thump against her chest. _How long was she in?_

As the teams moved back into tip-off formation, no one noticed Kuroko flexing her wrist slightly. "Could you just pass me the ball?" she said to another first-year.

After tip-off and a moment of deliberation, the first-year decided to let it happen. _At least don't let them take it,_ he mentally begged as he passed Kuroko the ball.

Suddenly the ball was on the other end of the court, in the hands of another first-year, who promptly shot it through the hoop.

Hyuuga, Izuki, and Mitobe were stunned. "When did it get over there?" Hyuuga wondered. "How did that pass go through?"

As the game continued, passes suddenly became very prevalent in the first-year team. The ball would disappear for a moment before reappearing in a complete different part of the court, much to the second-years' wonder and dismay. "They keep passing the ball and shooting before we even realize it!" Izuki exclaimed quietly to Koganei.

The cat-like second-year was just as confused. "What's happening?"

Aida started suddenly, having connected the dots. _Kuroko-chan is using her lack of presence to pass the ball. She's not even touching it for very long—she just redirects it! She's drawing the opponents' attention away from herself! _

Then a thought hit her. _That's her! She's the invisible regular of Teikou who excelled at passing! I'd heard rumors, but didn't think she actually existed—or that she was a girl! The sixth phantom member of the Generation of Miracles!_

The score was 37-36 in the second-years' favor. _One point difference! _Kuroko got the ball and began running down the court. Everyone was following her slight form, but Kagami was faster, and he was right on her tail. She took a shot, but it hit the rim. As it started to fall, Kagami leapt up and slammed it into the net. "You have to make the shot, dumbass," he said to her. While he didn't know it, Kuroko had a grin on her face.

* * *

After practice that evening, Kagami went to a local restaurant and ordered thirty of their burgers, completely loaded. If you were to ask him about his eating habits, he would protest that he burned a lot of calories because of his exercise and metabolism and, as such, needed to eat more. As he sat, however, he didn't notice a certain blue-haired girl.

As he took the first bite of his first burger, he saw Kuroko out of the corner of his eye. She was back in her school uniform, minus the blazer, and she was sipping out of a cup. "Good evening, Kagami-kun."

Kagami nearly choked on the burger. "Where did you come from and what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I was sitting here first," she pointed out. Then, gesturing to her cup, she continued, "I like this place's vanilla shakes."

Kagami scoffed. "Go somewhere else," he said, reaching for another burger.

"I don't want to," Kuroko protested.

"If people see us, they'll think we're dating or something!" Kagami insisted, getting angry.

Kuroko shook her head. "They won't even see me, but they'll think you're schizophrenic."

"An even _better_ reason you should leave!" the redhead roared quietly, smacking his fist on the table. The girl didn't even flinch—she just kept drinking that stupid milkshake of hers. Kagami sighed and tossed a burger at her. "I don't like gu—_people_ who suck at basketball, but you've earned yourself one of those."

While she was confused for a moment, she gave him a bright smile (that didn't make his heart go faster or his skin get hotter, thank you very much), and said, "Thank you, Kagami-kun," before unwrapping it and taking a bite.

After Kagami finished his dinner, the two left the restaurant, though later he would deny they were together. "Just how strong is the Generation of Miracles?" he asked her. "If I played them now, how would I do?"

Kuroko paused from drinking her shake to answer him. "You'd be destroyed instantly."

Kagami popped a vein in his forehead. "Do you have to put it like that?"

"It's the truth," she responded coolly. "Each of the prodigies has gone to different schools, and one of those schools will be the best."

Kagami chuckled darkly. "That kinda thing really starts a fire in me. I've decided."

"What have you decided, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asked.

"I'll crush all of them and become Japan's best basketball player!" he declared.

Kuroko waited until she drained her cup of her remaining milkshake before she spoke again. "That's not possible right now."

Kagami popped another vein. "Hey!"

"Those five are on a completely different level," she said matter-of-factly. "If you were to play them now, you wouldn't even reach their shoes. At least not alone." As they were standing at a crosswalk and the light just turned green, Kuroko jumped in front of Kagami so she was standing in the street. "I've decided as well."

"What have you decided, Kuroko-chan?" he echoed, not even realizing he'd used –chan instead of –san or no honorific at all.

"I'm a shadow," she said, reminding Kagami of the conversation they'd had only the previous day. _Was it really only yesterday? It seems like an eternity has passed. _"But the stronger the light, the darker the shadow and the more it accentuates the brightness of the light. I will be the shadow to your light, Kagami-kun. I will make you the best player in Japan."

Kagami stared at her in disbelief for a moment before scoffing, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the street just as the light turned red. "Do whatever you want," he said, even though he was still holding her arm.

She smiled at him again. "I'll do my best."

* * *

**Word count not including the title and ANs: 3,548**

**Wooooooooooooooooow….longest chapter EVAH!**

**The bit at the beginning talking about GoM is from the page on Kuroko no Basuke, if anyone wanted to know.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this! Please review to tell me how you think I did.**


	2. The Reason For Joining

Chapter Two: The Reason for Joining

**Chapter two, episode two! Man, these actually take quite a while to write, especially if you're only changing a little thing, because most of the conversations are still important and still apply. My fingers hurt TT-TT**

**I know I said I'd update every Saturday, but I already finished this, so I figured I may as well upload!**

**Questions: Since I just uploaded the last chapter a few hours ago, I didn't have any questions.**

**Thanks to Kitty(Guest) for my first review!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

As Kagami practiced in the early morning a week after he and Kuroko made their decisions, he couldn't help the excited laughs that would occasionally explode from his throat. He wasn't usually so giddy while he played by himself, but he was just too pumped up.

If what Kuroko said was to be believed, the Generation of Miracles would be almost impossible to beat. She said—and firmly believed—that one of those five schools would win the national championship with one of the Miracles leading them to victory. Just the thought of facing one of those guys made his heart rate pick up and a grin would overtake his face.

After all, Kagami hadn't had any real competition since he'd come back to Japan. He was itching for a real challenge. Something to get his blood boiling, something to make him_ tired_ for once. Even the second-years at the basketball club were too weak for him.

_I don't care if it's not an official match,_ he thought excitedly mid-lead, _I just wanna play them!_

* * *

"A game?"

"Yeah," Kagami said, following Hyuuga through the hallways. "My blood's just boiling! I wanna play one of the Miracles!"

"You can't play yet," the captain deadpanned.

"What? Why not, Captain?"

Hyuuga adjusted his glasses as he continued walking. "You're still a trial member, Kagami-kun," he reminded the first-year. "You're not an official member yet."

"Huh?"

* * *

"Oh, I _knew_ you had potential," Aida cooed at her PSP, despite all the weird stares she was getting. She was currently customizing a basketball team for one of her games, treating the virtual people like they were her own children as she drank a juice box. "Nothing beats cultivating talent!"

Suddenly a heavy pair of hands slammed down on her desk. "Coach!" Kagami yelled, causing her to spit out the juice that was in her mouth. Her classmates stared in horror at the giant first-year, most backing away and pressing up against the windows on the opposite side of the room. "Coach, give me an official club registration form!"

"What's up with your first-years today?" she complained as she wiped the juice on her desk off and onto the floor. Kagami decided not to think about that at the moment, instead focusing on what she'd said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Kuroko-chan came by earlier and asked for a form, too."

Kagami's eyes widened at what he kind of considered to be an act of betrayal by the person he refused to call his friend just yet. "That bitch…" he muttered.

As she dug out a club registration form, Aida muttered about how impatient all the first-years were. "But!" she interjected as he reached for the form, holding it over her head, "I'll only accept your form Monday on the roof at 8:40 A.M."

Kagami blinked at her. "Why?"

She pressed a finger to her lips. "It's-a-se-cret!"

The first-year huffed and stalked out of the room. As he walked through the hallway, he stopped by a bulletin board with an article about a high school basketball player. As he read the stats, Kagami's eyes widened. "She wasn't kidding…"

"Yes, they are very strong," Kuroko said, suddenly appearing next to him.

For a moment, Kagami was paralyzed. When he snapped out of it, a vein in his forehead popped. "Why can't you just show up normally?" he loudly demanded of the girl. "Stop coming out of nowhere!"

Much in the way Aida had done just a few moments ago, Kuroko pressed her small index finger to her pink lips. "Shh!" she hissed, using her other hand to point to a sign over the door that read "Library." "Be conscious of where you are, Kagami-kun."

Kagami let a hand drop on her head, squeezing it tightly. "Are you making fun of me? You're making fun of me, aren't you?" he demanded again, albeit quieter this time.

Kuroko calmly replied, "No, I'm not." Kagami released her head and she raised one of her hands to rub it. "That hurt, Kagami-kun."

"Stop saying my name like that," Kagami muttered, glaring at her.

"Like what?"

"All cute and stuff. You make me feel like I'm kicking a kitten."

They were both silent for a moment as Kagami studied the small girl in front of him. _How could someone like her become one of the Generation of Miracles? And if all of the other members went on to go to big name schools, why didn't she go with them? _"Hey, Kuroko-chan—"

The space that had once been occupied by the blue-haired girl was now empty. "Where the hell did she go?" he bellowed angrily, stalking off before the librarian could chew him out.

* * *

"We're doing that again?" Aida's dad asked as he leaned against the doorframe of her darkened room. His hair was the same shade as his daughter's, but his face was sharper, accentuated by the stubble on his chin. He definitely didn't look like a sports coach.

"In order to reach their full potential with so many eyes on them, it's imperative that they have at least this much courage!" Aida insisted.

"Are you sure that wasn't just a ploy to get you?"

"I want them to get me again this year."

"You're too reckless," he scoffed affectionately. As he left the room, he said, "I'm glad you're passionate, but get some sleep. Staying up this late is bad for your skin."

"I'll sleep when I have their individual training schedules done."

Her father rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him.

* * *

On Monday at 8:40 A.M., six people were gathered on the roof. Aida stood near the railings, arms crossed and laughing maniacally. "You're finally here!" she exclaimed in a deep voice.

Two of the others were Kagami and Kuroko, and the other three were more first-years, none of which Kagami had bothered with. Who cared about them when he had a trump card in Kuroko?

"Are you stupid?" Kagami asked, face disbelieving.

Behind him, Kuroko questioned, "Is this a duel or something?"

Kagami ignored his companion. As he spoke again he rubbed the back of his neck. "I totally forgot, but on Mondays we have the morning assembly at 8:45!" Sure enough, if you were to look over the railing of the roof, you would see a giant, teeming crowd of Japanese teenagers under the (slightly) watchful eye of the faculty. Kagami reached into his pocket and presented his crumpled up registration form. "Take it already!"

"Before that," Aida said, "I have to tell you something." At the first-years' collective confused noise, she continued. "I made a promise with the captain when he asked me to coach last year. I promised that I would focus solely on pushing the team to Nationals. If you don't think you can do that, there are other clubs that are better suited for you. And yes, Kagami-kun," she cut him off, "I know you're strong. But I need to know that you have something more important. No matter how hard you practice, 'someday' and 'maybe' aren't good enough. I need to know you have ambitious goals and the will to achieve them." She gestured over the rail to the crowd broadly. "Give your year, class, and name, and announce your goals here and now, to the entire student body. If you fail to achieve your goal, you'll come back up here, strip naked, and confess to the girl you love." All of the males shivered at the prospect while Kuroko, being a girl herself, was unfazed.

One of the other first-years raised his hand. "Um—"

"No, your goal _cannot_ be to get a girlfriend."

"Shit," muttered the first year.

Kagami grinned and stepped onto the rail. "Listen up!" he bellowed, catching the attention of everyone below. The second-year basketball club members all facepalmed at the "tradition." "I'm Kagami Taiga of class 1-B! I will defeat the Generation of Miracles and become the best player in Japan!"

Silently as always, Kuroko stepped up next to him, holding a hand over the front of her skirt to keep the boys down below from getting a peek. "Kuroko Tetsuya of class 1-B! I will become the shadow to Kagami-kun's light and help him defeat my former teammates and become the best in Japan!"

The other three first-years took a lot more convincing, and before they went the principal came up and lectured all of them for half an hour. Little did Kuroko know, one of the first-years in the crowd had taken a video of her confession on his phone.

* * *

In the gymnasium of Kaijou High School, a tall, blond, handsome young man sat cross-legged on the floor, watching a live stream video on his phone. Apparently it was some kind of tradition at Seirin Academy to announce your goals if you join the basketball club, and today was this year's day to do it.

The first guy, he thought, was just plain vain. Who was he to think he could take down the Generation of Miracles single-handedly? It wasn't until a second later that he knew why the boy was so cocky.

A girl with light blue hair hopped up onto the railing next to the boy. _"Kuroko Tetsuya of class 1-B! I will become the shadow to Kagami-kun's light and help him defeat my former teammates and become the best in Japan!"_ she screamed, louder than he'd ever heard her.

A grin overtook the blond's face. "Found you, Kurokocchi," he muttered to himself, pausing the video to stare at the girl. "Prepare yourself."

* * *

That evening, Kagami and Kuroko went to the burger place again. Kagami ordered his food and her milkshake while she held their booth, staring out the window at the cars driving by. "Here's your freaking shake," Kagami said irritably, handing her the ice-cold cup.

"Why are you so upset, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asked, cocking her head to the side.

Kagami felt his face heat up slightly, but he told himself it was just the lack of air conditioning in the damn restaurant. "I can't believe we had _detention_!" Kagami growled, tearing into one of his burgers after tossing Kuroko hers. She never asked for one, but he decided she needed to eat more. She was _way_ too skinny.

"We are not allowed on the roof anymore," she said simply.

Suddenly, Kagami remembered the time the previous week when he was going to ask Kuroko about the Generation of Miracles. "By the way," he said, leaning on his elbow. "Why didn't you go to a big name school like the other five guys? You were good enough to be known as the phantom sixth member, after all."

Kuroko sighed and put her cup down on the table. "Teikou's primary discipline is that winning is everything and that you should do whatever it takes to win. That is why we were so loved—we never lost. Each of the five was almost inhuman in their ability on the court. But, starting near the end of our second year, things started going south. Playing basketball was not fun anymore, and no one relied on each other. I had another light back then. His name was Aomine Daiki. He was our ace—he was good at everything. He started relying on me less and less, until one day he told me that I was no longer needed. I quit after the championship in our third year. Akashi-kun always accuses me of disappearing on them. I had to get away, though, because they had changed too much. Back then, I can honestly say I hated playing basketball. The sound of dribbling, the swish of the net, the sound of the buzzer—they all just made me sad. Everyone was too good at basketball that it started to become boring for them. There was no longer a challenge. That is why they went to different schools."

"What about you?" Kagami questioned, leaning closer to her over the table.

"I knew that if I went with one of them, basketball would not be fun. I did not want to be around any one of them alone. We are incomplete that way, awkward. But if we were together, I would just hate basketball more. I did research on schools with new basketball programs and decided that this one had potential. However," she said, her blue eyes blazing with such passion and fierceness that Kagami could no longer blame his flush on the lack of AC, "I refuse to let Seirin become like Teikou. I will not let anyone at Seirin change so drastically. We will remain the same, and we will love basketball."

Kagami stared, wide-eyed, at her. She sucked out the rest of her milkshake and gestured to the burgers. "You should probably finish those. It is getting rather late."

A glance at his phone confirmed Kuroko's comment. It was almost seven! He scarfed down his meal and dumped the tray. "C'mon," he said to Kuroko, gesturing with his head for her to stand up. "I'll walk you home. Coach would kill me if you got kidnapped on my watch."

"Okay," she said.

As they walked down the darkened streets of the city, a thought came to Kagami. "Hey, do you have a cell phone?"

"Yes," Kuroko said, pulling it out of her skirt pocket on reflex. "I only have the phone numbers of the five and my parents, though."

"You're about to have me in there, too!" Kagami announced. Before she could do anything he grabbed her phone and quickly exchanged their numbers before thrusting it back at her. "There. Now if you're ever in a pinch because of your stupidity, you can just call me."

Kuroko stared at the light blue plastic of her phone for a moment before looking back up at him, eyes watery with unshed tears, which, for some reason, made Kagami's heart clench. "Thank you, Kagami-kun."

"Call me Taiga, Tetsu-chan."

"Okay, Taiga-san."

* * *

The members of the basketball club were quickly acquainted with Kuroko's insistence of changing in the same locker room as them. Since the Generation of Miracles were okay with it, she reasoned, they should be, too. Not that the boys (besides Kagami for reasons he couldn't quite understand) were complaining. Kuroko was a _lot_ more generous in the chest department than their coach.

"Huh?" Koganei said, looking at the locker room bench. "What's this?"

It was an issue of Monthly Basketball Magazine from when Kuroko had been at Teikou. On the cover was a picture of two players, one of which was one of the Generation of Miracles.

The guys all gathered around to look at the magazine. "All the players are featured!" Hyuuga exclaimed. After a few more page flips, he said, "Kuroko-chan, where's your article?"

"Kise-kun and Aomine-kun made me stay in the locker room while the reporter was there because they thought he looked like a pedophile," she said nonchalantly, making the rest of the team sweatdrop. "Besides," she continued, pulling her shirt the rest of the way over her chest (much to the disappointment of the two minor first-years that were in the locker room), "I am nothing like the other five. They are the real prodigies."

Suddenly the third minor first-year burst into the locker room excitedly. "The coach is back!" he exclaimed. "She got us a practice match, and she's so happy she's skipping!"

Hyuuga's eyes narrowed. "She was skipping?"

"Yeah."

Hyuuga got a weird look in his eye and he looked at the rest of the team. "Be prepared, everyone. If she's skipping, our opponent is gonna be real tough."

* * *

A blond man in a nice suit stepped through the Seirin Academy front gate, smirking. "This is Seirin?" he asked himself, paying no mind to the gaggle of girls that seemed to materialize around him as soon as he set foot on the school property. "New and pristine, just like I expected." Giving but a fleeting glance to his many fans, he made his way to the gymnasium.

* * *

The basketball club had again split into second-years vs. first-years. As usual, Kuroko and Kagami were on fire, working together like a well-oiled machine. The second-years had to admit that the first-year duo was a force to be reckoned with when they were serious. They were all rather surprised that Kagami hadn't broken the goal yet with how violent his dunks were.

After his latest shot, he walked over to Kuroko and gave her a loud high-five. "Nice pass, Tetsu-chan!"

"Nice shot, Taiga-san!" she returned.

The rest of the team stared at them, wide-eyed. When Kagami saw this, an irritated look crossed his face. "Whataya all looking at?" he demanded.

Aiba responded first. "Since when are you two on a first name basis?" she demanded, pointing an accusing finger at them. "I swear to God, if you two start making out on the court—"

"B-Baka!" Kagami screamed, face red.

Still flushing but much calmer than her counterpart, Kuroko said, "Taiga-san and I are not in a romantic relationship. We simply decided that if we are going to be partners, we should not have to bother with such formalities."

When that was settled, the team went on to speak of Kagami's play. "That was such a quick turn at full speed!" Koganei speculated. "Hey, Kagami-kun, how'd you do it?"

Kagami shrugged, now wearing a cocky expression. "I'm just that good."

Kuroko slapped his arm slightly. "You should be more modest, Taiga-kun. There will always be someone out there that is better than you at something."

Instantly humbled, Kagami muttered, "Yes, ma'am."

"However," she continued, "you are getting quite good. You may be ready to face one of the Generation of Miracles soon."

Aiba's whistle blew. "Gather 'round, everyone!" she demanded in her "coach" voice.

"Yes, ma'am!" the team shouted, moving to circle the second-year girl."

Once everyone was assembled, Aiba revealed their opponent for the practice game.

Hyuuga was horrified. "A practice game against Kaijou High School?" he demanded.

Kuroko immediately stiffened, something Kagami was able to pick up on. He nudged her with his elbow. "Hey. What's wrong?"

While the coach sang Kaijou's praises, Kuroko whispered in Kagami's ear. "One of the Generation of Miracles goes there. His name—"

"Kurokocchi!"

Suddenly Kuroko was in the air, being held by a handsome blond man in a nice grey suit. "K-Kise-kun, please put me down now!" Kuroko gasped. "I cannot breathe!"

Before Kise could respond, Kagami was lifting Kuroko out of his arms and, surprisingly, onto his own shoulders. Kuroko took this in stride and gripped his hair lightly. "Who're you?" Kagami growled, keeping one of his hands on his partner's hip.

Kise glanced at the two of them slowly. Before he could answer Kagami, one of his fangirls screamed. He actually looked a little apologetic as he said, "Just give me five minutes. I'll be right back!" And then he rushed off to sign autographs for almost every girl that went to Seirin Academy.

While Kise was signing his name over and over and over again, Kagami set Kuroko back on her feet. "What's with the harem?"

"That is Kise Ryouta. He is one of the Generation of Miracles. He was the last one to join us, because he transferred to Teikou during second year. He works as a model on the side, and his special ability is copying another player's plays just by watching."

Her teammates stared at Kuroko hard, having almost forgotten that she was the sixth phantom member of the Generation of Miracles. Hyuuga was the first to break the silence. "So he just has to see a play to copy it?"

"Yes," Kuroko said. "However, he cannot copy my technique because he cannot actually see me, and he cannot copy Aomine's technique because it is all over the place."

Aiba adopted a thinking position, putting her chin in the crevice of her index finger and thumb. "Thanks for telling us, Kuroko-chan. I'm counting on you to tell us the rest of the Generation's weaknesses."

"I will do my best," Kuroko said, bowing to her coach.

Kise got done surprisingly quickly and jogged back over to the Seirin team, a broad smile lighting up his already handsome face. "Kurokocchi, you really worried me when you disappeared like that!" he whined, wrapping her in another, albeit less-lung crushing, hug. "Aominecchi was worried too, and Midorimacchi, even if he doesn't act like it."

At the mention of her old teammates, Kuroko slipped into her expressionless mask. "It is good to see you again, Kise-kun."

He released his hold on her to laugh dramatically. "Of, Kurokocchi, you're as formal as ever! I keep telling you to call me Ryouta."

"I believe your verb tense is incorrect. You should have said 'I kept telling you' instead of 'I keep telling you' because we have had no contact since graduation. This is the first time you have asked me to call you by your given name in months, so I believe that constitutes the past form of 'keep.'"

Her team stared at her once more, feeling a bit sorry for the blond model standing in front of her. Kise seemed to have the same idea, because he pulled a handkerchief out of hammer space and began biting it as tears streamed down his face. "You're so cruel, Kurokocchi! Have you just been leading me on this entire time?"

Kagami stared at Kuroko. "What does he mean, 'leading him on?'?"

Kuroko sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "During graduation, Kise-kun confessed to me and asked me to go to Kaijou High with him. I turned him down, though, because I have never had, do not have, and never will have any kind of romantic feelings for him."

Every male in the room aside from Kagami and Kise felt a cold wind blow through the wind. _Kuroko-chan is so cold…._

"Why are you here, Kise-kun? Are you skipping practice? I thought that was Aomine-kun's job."

"I just wanted to come say high to my first love! Is that so wrong?"

As the two Generation members shot back and forth with each other, the rest of the team looked at the magazine again. "He's only been playing since his second year?" Hyuuga demanded loudly, rereading it to make sure there wasn't a typo.

Kise, who'd heard, began rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner. "Ah, that article exaggerated a bunch. Really, I'm the worst of the five of us, aren't I, Kurokocchi?"

"You have the least experience, yes, but you have a good instinct and build for the sport. You were no less important to the team than any of the others."

"Please," Kise scoffed. "Momoi-chan was more helpful than I was."

"This is true."

"So cruel!" Kise began crying again, much to Kuroko's irritation.

Kagami stepped in. "Oi, Kise. If you're not doing anything productive, why don't you just leave? We're in the middle of practice."

Kise's eyes hardened and he fixed his gaze on Kagami. "And who, exactly, are _you_?" he demanded, standing straighter so he was about the same height as the redhead. "You seem _awfully_ familiar with Kurokocchi."

Kagami wrapped one of his muscled arms around Kuroko's shoulders, tugging her closer to him. "I'm Kagami Taiga, Tetsu-chan's new partner!"

"Tet-su-chan?"

Kuroko groaned and leaned her head back, unintentionally worming herself closer to Kagami. "Kise-kun, do not make a big deal out of this."

"You've known him for—what? A few months?—and you're letting him call you 'Tetsu-chan'? You won't even let me call you 'Tetsuya-san'! You're so cruel!"

"Kise-kun, would you please leave? We must prepare for our practice game against your school."

"Fine," Kise said, voice now hard. "But I have a deal for you."

"Name it!" Kagami said cockily.

Kise spared him a glare before he returned his gaze to Kuroko. "If my team beats yours, you have to transfer to Kaijou and kiss me. If your team beats mine, I'll kiss Midorimacchi."

A muffled laugh escaped Kuroko's throat at the thought of Kise kissing another one of their old teammates. Once she composed herself, she stuck out her hand. "It is a deal, Kise-kun. Midorima-kun does not have access to any spherical object after we beat you."

"And _you_," Kise said as they shook hands, "should keep Kagami-san here on a leash after we beat _you_."

"It will not happen."

Kagami stared at the two of them, gaze lingering on the fierce, competitive look in Kuroko's eyes. He hoped they won.

And not just to win.

* * *

**Word count not including title or ANs: 4,093**

**God, I feel like I made them a little too OOC, but, then again, it is a FANfiction!**

**Kise makes his appearance, and Kagami gets jealous. Of course, we all know who's gonna win the bet. **

**Please review, and if you have any questions/comments/concerns, please leave them in your reviews.**


	3. The Kaijou Seirin Match Part 1

Chapter Three: The Kaijou-Seirin Match Part 1

**Okay, I realized something last night: In the first chapter, I had Kuroko using contractions! TT-TT I decided that if she's so polite she shouldn't use contractions, but I completely forgot about that!**

**Anyway, here's the first _real_ match for Kuroko and Kagami!**

**I'd like to thank konan248 and Kichou for their reviews.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"This place is _huge_!" one of the second-years commented as the Seirin team walked through the front gates of Kaijou Private School. The building was large and had several full-wall glass windows, and the landscaping was beautiful enough to make a grown man cry. There were no weeds or litter in sight. "You can tell when a place really focuses on its athletics!"

Kagami, however, was trailing blearily behind Kuroko, eyes bloodshot. "Taiga-san," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "Are you okay? Your eyes do not look like they usually do."

Kagami looked away from his partner, embarrassed. "I was a little too excited last night and didn't get any sleep." His head snapped back around, however, when he heard her light chuckle, to see her holding her hand over her mouth.

"What are you, a grade schooler going on your first field trip?" she laughed, voice tinkling.

He flushed scarlet and looked away again. "S-shut up."

"Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko and Kagami both stiffened at the sound of Kise's voice. They turned their attention to in front of them and saw the Generation of Miracles member jogging to meet them. "This place is big," he offered, "so I came to escort you to the gym!"

Kagami glared at him while Aida made nice. He _really_ didn't like this guy.

It got worse, however, when Kise decided to come see Kuroko.

Once again she was in his arms, nearly suffocating. "Kurokocchi, ever since you turned me down, I've cried into my pillow every night!"

"What's wrong with him?" Hyuuga wondered aloud, making Aida slap him upside the head.

"Oi, Kise!" Kagami roared. "Just show us the way already!"

Kise ignored him, though, and kept prattling on to Kuroko, who'd had just about enough. "Kise-kun, please stop being so sarcastic. This may not be a big deal for you, but Taiga-san is looking forward to this match. He has been eager to play one of the Miracles since he was told about them. And know," she continued, a competitive glint in her eyes, "that if you go easy on us, I will _never_ forgive you and I will tell the rest of the Miracles that you have a weakness in me."

Kise laughed. "Are you that eager to kiss me, Kurokocchi? You don't have to win to do it, y'know!"

"No, but I _am_ eager to see the look on Midorima-kun's face when you kiss him."

A competitive glint came into Kise's eyes as well as he slowly turned to look at Kagami. "I'd like to know more about the guy who's making Kurokocchi say such things," he said dangerously. "Sorry, but I'm going to crush you to bits and take her for myself."

Kuroko huffed and crossed her arms. "I am not a trophy, Kise-kun."

* * *

"We're only playing on half a court?" Aida demanded angrily.

"Well," the Kaijou coach, Takeuchi, said, "this _is _just a practice match. Why should we stop practicing for something so simple?"

"They think we suck!" Kagami roared quietly to Kuroko. "They're treating us like a sideshow to their practice!"

Kuroko, while angry herself, placed a hand on her partner's arm. "Calm down, Taiga-san. We need to play as a team, or there is not point playing at all. When you get angry, you play like it is yourself against the other team."

Kagami took a deep breath. "Yes, ma'am."

Kuroko looked over to see Kise begging his coach. "Please, don't say that!"

Takeuchi had already made up his mind. "If you play, it won't even be a game anymore."

The second-years watched the exchange angrily, though for Kuroko, it was in an analytical fashion. "I haven't been this pissed off in a while," Izuki commented, eyes narrowed.

Kise jogged up to them. "I'm _really _sorry, but I'll be on the bench!" Then he cupped a hand over his mouth. "If you give the other guys a beating, I'm sure he'll put me in!"

Takeuchi shouted for Seirin to go to the locker rooms. When Kuroko followed them, a horrified expression crossed Kise's face. "Kurokocchi, why are you going into the locker room with them?"

"They are my team," she said simply. "We change together. We used to do it back at Teikou as well, if you remember. Go warm up."

* * *

"Let the practice game between Kaijou Academy and Seirin Academy begin!"

The regulars went up to the center of the court for tip off while the referee looked around, confused. "Seirin, where's your fifth player?"

"Right here," said Kuroko, raising a hand. The ref stumbled back, startled, before taking in her appearance.

"You have a _girl_ on your team? And you're _playing_ her?" one of the Kaijou team sneered. Kagami snarled at him as he moved in for tip-off.

Kaijou got the ball first. As they were about to pass, Kuroko raced in and smacked the ball away, shocking the Kaijou players since they hadn't even seen it. Kuroko took the ball and dribbled down the court with it, though Kasamatsu easily caught up with her and began to block. _She's slow_, he thought triumphantly.

Too bad he didn't see her smirk.

Quick as lightning, she passed the ball behind her, to where Kagami was waiting. With no hesitation, he leapt up and dunked the ball through the net, completely missing the cracking sound that accompanied it. "Alright!" he cheered, going to a fist pump…and getting smacked in the head with the hoop from the goal. "Whoa!"

"He destroyed the hoop!"

"You're kidding!"

Izuki walked up to inspect it. "That's dangerous," he said to Takeuchi. "One of the bolts is rusted."

"Even so, that's not normal!" Kasamatsu insisted.

As Aida apologized to Takeuchi, Kuroko and Kagami walked over to the bench. "I am sorry we broke your hoop," Kuroko said, bowing. "Since we cannot play like this, could we use the full court?"

If looks could kill, Seirin would no longer have a basketball club.

"Ready the court!" he bellowed to the team members that were supposed to be practicing.

Kise laughed loudly, making Kagami look at him. "That's what I call a beating! I've never seen the coach like that before."

"Tell him that's what he gets for underestimating us!" Kagami boasted.

Offhandedly, Kuroko began to wander away. "I wonder how much a replacement hoop will cost.

Kagami did a double take and raced after her. "You mean we need to pay for it?"

"We broke it."

* * *

"Let the game resume!"

And so it did. Only four minutes into the first quarter, both teams were nearing twenty points, though Kaijou was in the lead. The gymnasium reeked of sweat, more so that one should only halfway through the first quarter. And it was even worse because Kise was playing.

About five minutes into the first quarter, Kuroko jogged up to Hyuuga. "Captain!" she called.

Hyuuga jumped, having not realized one of his players was behind him. "Kuroko-chan? When did you get there? And why are you talking to me? We're in the middle of a game!"

"I need a time out," she panted, sweating profusely. "The high pace of the game is taking a toll on me, and we need Taiga-san to cool down. The harder he plays the harder Kise-kun plays. At this rate, it will take all of our energy just to keep up with them, and they'll burn out. We will not make it to the second half."

_She's talking more than she usually does to me,_ Hyuuga realized with a start. _Is it really that serious?_ He took a glance at the timer and blanched. It read 5:28. _I guess it is._

Aiba called for time out.

The Seirin team immediately collapsed onto their bench. The only one not gulping down water was Kuroko, who was wiping her face off with her towel. _They're way too tired for only playing five minutes!_ Aida decided worriedly.

Kagami heard the Kaijou team talking and decided to eavesdrop. They were talking about him and Kuroko, extremely baffled by the girl's ability to disappear. It made Kagami grin in a feral manner. It was a smile to make children cry.

Kagami tuned back into the coach, who was going over strategies. "I'm sorry," Kuroko said suddenly, face turned downward in what Kagami recognized as shame. "We have a bit of a problem that I should have told you about before."

"What's wrong, Kuroko-chan?" Aiba asked.

"I won't make it all forty minutes with my passes."

"EH?!" the team shouted in unison, staring at their star passer in shock.

Kuroko refused to look at any of them, keeping her eyes firmly on her sweat-covered knees. "Because of how high-speed the gameplay is, my effectiveness is already wearing off."

"What?" Hyuuga demanded, staring at the blue haired girl intently.

"See, what I use is called misdirection. I am not making myself disappear—I am simply making my opponents look elsewhere, making it appear that I become invisible. Aomine-kun and Akashi-kun helped me develop it. Of course, my lack of presence helps a lot. However, the more I use it, the more used to it our opponents get. Because of how fast paced the game has been, they are getting used to it more quickly than usual. My misdirection will start to fail soon."

Aiba's temper flared. She grabbed Kuroko and threw her in a painful headlock, grinding her fist into the blue haired girl's head. "Why didn't you tell us this sooner, Kuroko-chan?" she demanded angrily.

Kuroko managed to choke out, "I am sorry. I did not think the game would be so rough. I thought I could make it last."

The whistle chirped. "Time out is over!"

Just as the players walked back out, Aiba thought of something. "Go from man-to-man defense to zone defense. Keep a solid defense on the inside and move to stop Kise-kun quickly."

"Got it!" the four male players said in unison.

Then Aiba turned to Kuroko. "Slow down your pace, Kuroko-chan. Just don't let the gap get too big."

"I will try," she said, standing from the bench and walking onto the court.

Almost immediately Kaijou scored a three-pointer, making the score 22-28 in Kaijou's favor. Kagami gritted his teeth. _I refuse to lose,_ he told himself. _Seirin will win this match!_

"Don't you see?" Kise taunted after Kaijou scored another shot. "You're not good enough."

"Huh?" Kagami roared.

"You're still years away from being as good as the Generation of Miracles.—from being as good _Kurokocchi_. I'm going to beat you, and I'm going to take her away from you. You can struggle, but you won't beat me. No matter how good you are, with one look I'll throw it back at you twice as hard. The difference between us is simply too great."

Kagami was silent for a moment, but started laughing, startling Kise. "What are you laughing about?" the blond demanded.

When he finally caught his breath, Kagami raised an apologetic hand. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just so happy! No one's said that to me in a while. The difference part, not the part about Tetsu-chan. I heard it all the time in America."

"You lived in America?" Kise exclaimed, suddenly jubilant. "That's amazing!"

Kagami continued, "I thought I was jumping the gun by coming back here to play. Hearing you say that is really encouraging. Life is all about challenges. There's no point to living if there's no one strong to play. It's better if I _can't_ win!"

Kise stared at Kagami in disbelief as the redhead walked past him and kept talking. "We're just getting started. It's a little early to be saying that you won. Besides, I know your weakness."

"Weakness?"

"Like you said, with _one look_ you can throw it back. But what if you can't see it? No matter how athletic you are, you'll never achieve an invisible basketball style." He walked over to his partner and picked her up, hoisting her onto his shoulder. "In other words, this bitch's your weakness!"

Kise's eyes widened as he stared at the pair, even as Kuroko said, "Please do not call me that, Taiga-san." He could see it, in the way she looked at him. She had imprinted on him, the way she had with Aomine all those years ago, and she wasn't going down without a fight yet.

Kise clenched his fists. _I'm not going down without a fight!_

* * *

**God, I hate this chapter!**

**Word count not including title and ANs: 2,006**

**I've never been any good at action sequences, so they really suck TT-TT I feel like a lot of the dialogue in this episode was rather unnecessary, so I cut it out. Most of this was actually testosterone-charged rivalry, in my opinion, so I tried to add more concerns about Kuroko and who she really wants to be with. **

**I hope you enjoyed this and I ask you to review!**


	4. The Kaijou Seirin Match Part 2

Chapter Four: The Kaijou-Seirin Match Part 2

**Kuroko's gonna get hurt in this chapter, and then we'll _really_ see Kagami's rage!**

**I want to thank konan248, hitomi65, and Akira(guest) for their reviews.**

**Also, I got my first question! **

**Kuroshiroyuu asks: 'Oh dear…is everyone going to be after Tetsu?' Well, Kuro, I'm still deciding, but I know that Kagami, Kise, and Aomine will all be after her. I'm still deciding about the others ^_^; I do think, though, that Midorima and Aka will be more like big brother types to intimidate the others.**

* * *

Kise, Kagami, and Kuroko locked their gazes on each other for a few tense moments while the other basketball players stared at them in wonder. On the sideline, Aiba's brain went into overdrive. _Kagami is powerless against Kise, whose only weakness is the weakest person on the court, Kuroko-chan!_

Abruptly, Kise smirked. "True, Kurokocchi's style is the only style I can't duplicate. What does it matter?"

A whistle blew. "End of the first quarter. Take a two minute break."

A wild grin broke across Kagami's face. He swung Kuroko downwards so he was holding her under the armpits before slowly lowering her to the gym floor. "It changes everything," he said. "We'll bring you to tears in the second quarter. C'mon, Tetsu-chan, let's go sit down. You deserve some water." As they walked to their bench, Kagami kept a hand between Kuroko's shoulder blades, though he wasn't quite sure why.

The scoreboard read 27-35 in Kaijou's favor. Coach Takeuchi was not pleased by this, and he yelled and screamed the entire break. "You're letting them catch up! You're a bunch of lazy asses that aren't worth your salt!"

Meanwhile, at the Seirin bench, Aiba was concocting a plan.

"Yeah, that could work," she decided, an evil smirk on her face. "Kagami-kun, it looks like you've calmed down."

He began to protest, "I was already—"

"You were pissed!" the second-years butted in. Kagami groaned and face faulted, unintentionally leaning against Kuroko as he did so.

Aiba continued, "If we wanna make this work, Kagami-kun and Kuroko-chan have to coordinate to each other—more so than usual. Can you two do it?"

Kagami grinned and held his fist out. Instinctively, because of the number of times she and Aomine had done it in the past, Kuroko bumped her fist against his lightly. "We got it," Kagami boasted. "We'll beat that blond bastard into the earth!"

The whistle blew again. "Let the second quarter begin!"

The second quarter began just as intensely as the first, and within a minute Kaijou had a larger lead on them. Kagami gritted his teeth and stole a glance at Kuroko. Her face, while appearing calm, had a sheen of sweat even greater than his own, and her eyes constantly darted around. _It's hard to believe it's only a practice match,_ he thought wryly.

Eventually, Kagami got control of the ball. He and Kise raced down the court, the blond keeping a close eye on the redhead. _What? Another drive? Maybe a fade away? _"Something's changed, hasn't it?" he demanded.

Kagami only smirked. Suddenly, he passed the ball to Kuroko, who was cattycorner to Kise with her back turned. Kuroko caught the ball and quickly returned the pass to Kagami, who had taken the time to jump in front of Kise. _He's coordinating with Kurokocchi!_ Kise realized with a start.

31-39 now, with Kaijou still in the lead. The gap was closing, though.

As the game went on, the Kaijou team was horrified to find out that Kuroko didn't just pass to Kagami. She would switch it up at a moment's notice, redirecting the ball to Mitobe or to Hyuuga instead of her partner. _34-39._

Aiba was relishing in the success of her plan. _Those two, Kagami-kun and Kuroko-chan—they were made to play with each other. With them, we might just barely make it!_

After Hyuuga's three-pointer, Kise looked to Kuroko, hurt in his eyes. "Kurokocchi, why are we on opposite sides?"

She ignored his question. Instead, she said, "Kise-kun, you are strong. I am powerless, and Taiga-san cannot stand against you. But when we work together, we have a fighting chance." Kagami, behind her, grunted in agreement as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kise's eyes hardened. "You really have changed, Kurokocchi. We never played basketball like this at Teikou, but you still can't stop me. I _will_ be the winner!" Kagami and Kuroko just stared at him, prompting him to continue. "It's true that I can't copy your misdirection, but since you'll lose your effectiveness soon, I'll slaughter you in the second half!"

As he took off, Kagami taunted, "Not so fast."

Much to everyone's surprise, Kise was given a new guard.

"K-Kuroko's on Kise?"

Kise's eyes widened as he stared at his former teammate, hurt and shock evident on his face. "Kurokocchi, why?"

"I made a promise to Taiga-san. I promised that I would help him defeat you. If I transfer to Kaijou, I will not be able to do it as easily. He needs me as his shadow, and I want him as my light."

"I never thought we'd play basketball like this," Kise said solemnly.

"Neither did I," she replied.

"You still won't stop me, Kurokocchi!" he roared as he dodged the small girl, running towards the hoop. Before he could get far, though, another, much larger form blocked his path.

"Wrong. We're not gonna stop you!" Kagami yelled, a feral grin on his face. _The plan worked!_

"We're taking the ball!" Aiba shouted.

From behind him, Kise felt the ball be knocked out of his grip by Kuroko, sending it sailing into Kagami's arms. The blond's head whipped around to stare at the girl, horrified. _What? A back tip? They took advantage of the second I hesitated!_

"It doesn't matter how amazingly you play against us," Kagami revealed as he passed the ball to Izuki. "We're trying to let you through!"

_Not even Kise can react quickly to an invisible man coming up behind him,_ Aiba thought cockily, arms crossed as she watched the game.

"I just won't run by you, then," Kise announced when he once again had control of the ball. "No one said I couldn't shoot a three-pointer!" He poised to shoot…

…and was blocked by Kagami, who was using Kuroko's head as a springboard.

Kise mentally cursed. _They got me. Kurokocchi's covering down below and Kagami's covering up high._

When Kagami's feet hit the floor again, he screamed, "Fast break!" and took off with the ball. Kise turned to race after him, not even realizing that Kuroko was still behind him.

His fist connected with her cheekbone before anyone could react. Kuroko was a girl, and she was no match for Kise's strength. Her head hit the floor with a sickening thud, making everyone freeze and stare at her. "Kuroko-chan!" Aiba screamed at the same time Kagami yelled, "Tetsu-chan!" Before the ref had time to call time out, both were at the girl's side. Kagami continued, "Tetsu-chan, get up!"

She sat up, and Kagami was able to see the blood on her face.

Without hesitation, he scooped her up and carried her back to the bench, paying no mind to the rest of the team following them. "I can still play, Taiga-san!" she insisted weakly as Aiba bandaged her head. "I am just a little light-headed." Even as she spoke, she swayed, and Mitobe and Hyuuga rushed to catch her before she could fall again.

"Like hell you can," Kagami retorted, albeit rather gently. "You've gotta sit out for a while. Don't worry— I'll nail that son of a bitch for you. You just lay down. Coach'll wake you up if we need you. Ain't that right, Coach? When he looked at Aiba, the look in his eyes was unmistakable: "Don't play her again."

Aiba swallowed and nodded. "Of course."

"Taiga-san, do not lose," Kuroko said weakly as he helped her into a horizontal position. "I do not want to leave Seirin! Do not lose!"

"Dumbass. Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I won't lose."

"If it gets close, there is one thing you can do, but it can only be done once," she continued, eyes starting to close.

"What is it?"

"Score…a buzzer beater." And then she was asleep, her chest rising and falling slightly.

Kagami rose, fists clenched. "I'll kill that bastard…" he raged to his teammates. "I'll murder him!"

"Kagami-kun, you need to calm down," Hyuuga said. "Remember what Kuroko-chan said at the beginning of the game. If you get angry, you forget that you're on a team. We need to be a team to win this match."

After a grudging moment, the first-year relented. "Fine. But keep me on Kise."

"I was going to anyway. However, it will be solely on defense. Second-years will take up the offense."

"Are you sure that's gonna work?" Kagami demanded.

"It'll be fine! Have some faith!"

"But—"

A pink, flowery aura surrounded the captain as he said, "I said it'll be fine, dumbass. Listen to your sempais once in a while, or I'll kill you."

Kagami recoiled. His usual calm, cool demeanor was now completely gone. As always when a game reached the clutch time, Hyuuga had gone into his second personality. As he walked back onto the court, Hyuuga continued ranting. "First-years should show more respect for their sempais. Get on your knees!"

Aiba sighed good-naturedly. "Good luck, everyone."

* * *

Takao Kazunari panted heavily as he pedaled the bike towing a rear car. In said rear car sat Midorima Shintarou, another one of the Miracles. He'd heard from Kise that Kuroko's team was playing his that day and, curious, he'd decided to come watch. "Bastard," Takao panted, "we were supposed to trade at the signal! You haven't pedaled once!"

"Of course I haven't. My horoscope said I'd have the greatest of days today."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Takao demanded. "Anyway, if we're coming all the way out here for a practice match, your middle school teammates had better be good!"

"It's the copycat and the invisible woman."

"Are they good?"

"Hurry up, or the game will be over," Midorima commanded.

* * *

While they weren't as good without Kuroko, Seirin was putting up an excellent fight against Kaijou. The defense allowed Hyuuga to shoot freely, scoring them many of their points that quarter. When the timer read 1:31, the score was 48-52 in Kaijou's favor.

At 8:40 in the fourth quarter, the score was 68-74. Seirin was beginning to lose its focus, and they were still really hurting without Kuroko. _I don't think we're gonna make a comeback,_ Hyuuga thought sadly.

"Coach, can't we do something?" one of the first-years asked frantically, eyes on the scoreboard.

Aiba shook her head helplessly. "They don't have any energy for plays after the first half's pace." She then groaned and buried her head in her hands. "If only we still had Kuroko-chan!"

On the bench, Kuroko's fingers twitched. "Very well," she breathed as she sat up, ready to play.

Aiba jumped and glared at the girl behind her. "Kuroko-chan, what are you doing up? You can't play in your condition!"

"You just said you needed me," Kuroko said, confused. "I'll be going then."

"I didn't mean to say that! It just slipped out!" she insisted. "Besides, Kagami-kun doesn't want you to play anymore!"

Kuroko's gaze became heated through the one eye she had open. "If there is anything I can do to change this game, please let me play. I do not want to leave Seirin. Besides, I promised Taiga-san I would be his shadow. You cannot tell your shadow to sit out."

"Fine," Aiba said after a moment. "But if I think you're in trouble again, I'm taking you straight out!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Kuroko slapped Koganei's hand as they switched and went to stand next to Kagami, who got pissed off at the thought of his injured, very female partner being but back into play. "What are you doing up, dumbass?"

"I am your shadow and your partner, Taiga-san. And if, by some chance, we do not win this game, I want to be standing next to you as we take the final blow."

Kagami sighed and clapped his hand on her shoulder. "Of course we're gonna win. Let's go, then."

"Yeah."

Kise watched with worry. _What is Kurokocchi doing back up?_

With Kuroko back in play after such a long period of time, her misdirection was back full-force. She became practically invisible on the court, much to the delight of her teammates and the dismay of their opponents. At 5:18 left in the fourth quarter, the score was 80-82 in Kaijou's favor. _Two point difference!_ It became a tie when Hyuuga shot a two-pointer, much to the astonishment of the crowd. Aiba, from the bench, smirked at the familiar grin on her friend's face.

It was then that Kise snapped.

Kuroko felt the familiar chill down her spine as Kise's eyes hardened. "He's serious now," she whispered to Kagami. "We gotta watch out now."

"We're still gonna win," Kagami said.

When Kise got serious, he got at least five times stronger. He ran straight past Kuroko so quickly that she couldn't even see him, much less steal the ball. He dunked it violently before landing back on the floor. When he looked up, there was no emotion in his eyes. "I won't lose. Not to anyone. Not even to Kurokocchi!"

"Shit," Hyuuga mumbled. Then, louder, he said, "Everyone, stay strong! It'll be just like the first quarter from here on out! A run-and-gun game!"

At 2:12, the board read 91-93. At 0:22, the two teams were tied at 98 each. Kagami's eyes were wide. _There's no time left! _Before he could race after the others, he saw a familiar flash of blue.

"Taiga-san, it's time for the buzzer beater."

Kagami nodded and raced down the court with his partner.

Everything seemed to slow down in those last few seconds. Hyuuga and Kasamatsu faced off for the ball while Kagami and Kuroko snuck up behind them. Kasamatsu went to shoot, only to be blocked by Kagami. He and Kuroko took the ball and ran towards their hoop.

Suddenly, Kise blocked their path. Quick as lightning, Kagami passed the ball to Kuroko and kept running. Kise turned to watch. _Kurokocchi can't shoot, so she'll have to pass it to Kagami!_

But Kuroko _did_ shoot, much to the surprise of everyone that knew him. Everyone, that is, except for Kagami. He raced forward to dunk the ball when it bounced off the rim.

An alley-oop.

With one second left, Kise leapt up to try to block it. "I won't let you do that!" he screamed. However, Kise began falling quickly while Kagami kept going up.

"This ends now!" Kagami roared. He slammed the ball through the hoop just as the buzzer went off.

100-98. Seirin won.

* * *

**Word count not counting title and ANs: 2,402**

**So, yeah! They won! Now Kise has to kiss Midorima, which will be EXTREMELY entertaining. It looks like his day won't be as good as he thought!**

**As always, please review!**


	5. Three on Five

Chapter Five: Three on Five

**Okay, is anybody ready for some KagKuro fluff? Cuz I know I am! ~^o^~**

**Some more background info and a three-on-five match in this chapter, along with a moment of bonding between our protagonists. Mostly a breather chapter before "Dad" comes into the picture. **

**I'd like to thank , ayakLein24, SketchedLyrics, Kuroshiroryu, and konan248 for their reviews. And thank you guys for correcting me—it's _Aida_, not _Aiba._ I'll fix it from now on. Also, I do realize that Kuroko called Kagami _Taiga-kun_ instead of _Taiga-san_ once, and that was a mistake. Thank you for reminding me of that. I'll try not to do it in the future.**

**As always, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Kise stood at the outside water fountain, rinsing the sweat off of his face from the game that just ended. He still couldn't believe Kuroko and Kagami had managed to make that buzzer beater! The way they moved together was amazing, almost like how Kuroko and Aomine had just a few years ago. _Was it really only a few years ago?_ he thought. _So much has changed since then. _I _changed. The only one that hasn't changed…_

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke up behind him. "Gemini's horoscope predicted terrible luck for you today, but I didn't think you'd actually lose."

"Hi, Midorimacchi," Kise said in a defeated tone. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to watch you and Kuroko-chan play each other. I see she has a new partner."

Kise sighed and leaned back against the fountain. "That's Kagamicchi. He lived in America until his second year of middle school, so he learned from the source." Then his head perked up, like he'd just remembered something. "Midorimacchi, c'mere a sec."

The green-haired bespectacled boy did so, and was immensely surprised when Kise forced their lips together. He held them there for two seconds before the blond pulled back, gagging dramatically. "Did you get it, Kasamatsu-sempai?"

Midorima jerked his head to the left and his eyes widened in horror when he saw a boy with black hair holding Kise's phone up, a look of disgust on his face. "What the hell was that, Kise?" Midorima demanded, grabbing his former teammate by the front of his shirt with his taped fingers.

Kise held his hands up in an "I surrender" position. "I made a bet with Kurokocchi. If she beat me, I had to kiss you."

Midorima looked like he was ready to kill Kise, but he retained himself. "How is Kuroko-chan, by the way? Does she seem happy?"

"Why don't you just ask her yourself?"

"B-blood types like myself and A-blood types like her don't get along very well. Plus, I cannot accept her decision to go to an obscure school like Seirin. It makes no sense. She could have gone to any of the top schools, or even gone to Kyoto with Akashi."

Kise sighed again. "She's as emotionless as ever, but her eyes light up a lot more often on the court…and when she looks at Kagamicchi." He bent his head, letting his bangs cover his eyes. "She's crazy for that guy—I can tell. He likes her, too, though I'm sure he doesn't know it yet. They're both oblivious."

Midorima slid his glasses back up his nose. "That won't make Aomine-kun happy when they meet again. I pity this Kagami-san—he has no idea what he's getting into."

Kise laughed slightly at that, tipping his head back. "You're telling me. You weren't there when I asked him and Akashicchi if I could date her. He almost wrung my neck!" Then he turned to his sempai. "Anyway, I'm gonna send Kurokocchi that picture then erase it from my phone. I _never_ want to relive that!"

As Kise walked to his sempai, Midorima had a thought. "Kise."

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to crush you into the dust the next time we face off as revenge for taking my first kiss."

There was a moment of silence before Kise blanched and ran away from his (rather terrifying) old teammate.

* * *

After a trip to the local hospital to make sure there was nothing horridly wrong with Kuroko, the team decided to go out to eat. Unfortunately, the team had (collectively) about seventy yen after transportation fees.

Just then, a truck rushed by reading "Free Steak!"

Minutes later, the team was seated inside a steak house, which had an event. If you can eat an entire steak in under thirty minutes, it's free. If you fail, you have to pay 10,000 yen.

Kuroko took one look at it. "I am not hungry," she said quietly, looking at Kagami.

"Eat one-sixth of it, at least," he scolded, jabbing at the air with his already juicy fork. "You're too skinny for your own good. I'll eat the rest of it if you eat a little."

"Okay."

The rest of the team stared at the duo in shock. "Kagami-kun, you can't really expect to—"

"He will eat all of your steaks if you do not," Kuroko said blandly as she chewed around the tender steak. "He can eat thirty burgers in one go."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Tetsu-chan."

"Okay."

Ten minutes later, Kagami-kun was halfway through his tenth steak, polishing off the last of the team's leftover meat rather quickly. Kuroko looked at him and sighed. "Taiga-san, you are such a messy eater. You have sauce and juice all over your face."

"Huh?" he said as he swallowed the last bit of steak.

"Here, I will get it." She reached up with her napkin and dabbed at his cheeks and mouth, making quick work of cleaning his face. When she noticed her teammates' stares, she said, "What is wrong?"

Aida blurted, "You're like a married couple or something!"

Kuroko and Kagami immediately went red and Kuroko turned away from him quickly. "B-Baka!" Kagami shouted.

Kuroko's phone buzzed and she pulled the blue piece of plastic from her skirt pocket to flip it open. _New picture message from Kise Ryouta._

The message was a picture of Kise and Midorima kissing. There was a line of text that read, _Kurokocchi, I can see you through the window. Meet me outside. I want to talk to you._

"I have to use the bathroom," she lied, standing up. "You guys can leave without me." She jogged to the back of the steakhouse and sent Kise a message back. _Meet me around back. I had to sneak away from the team. _Then, for some reason, she felt compelled to send Kagami a message as well. _Please do not freak out. I am meeting Kise-kun to talk to him about something. Please convince the others to leave before my absence becomes too prolonged to be a trip to the restroom._

A few minutes later Kise and Kuroko were standing in a park with a basketball court nearby. There were three guys playing street ball on the court, reminding Kuroko of Kagami. _That's how he learned to play like that_

"How's your injury?" Kise asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She nodded, hand moving upwards to touch the bandage around her head. "I am fine, thank you. Coach Aiba and Taiga-san took me to a hospital after the match to check it out."

"Y'know that was Midorimacchi's first kiss! He's vowed revenge! If I end up dead at his hands, I'm blaming you!" Kuroko's face flushed scarlet at the reminder of the newest picture on her phone. When Kise saw this, his eyes lit up mischievously. "You're still a _fujoshi, _aren't you?"

"Please do not use that term," she said quietly, refusing to meet his eyes because of her red-stained face.

"Whatever you say, Kiseki no Ojou."

Her temper flared at the use of her old nickname. "Do _not_ call me that! What did you want to talk about, Kise-kun? I would like to get home before it gets too dark."

"Midorimacchi came by to watch the game today, since you're playing each other in the preliminaries. Really, though, that left hand of his is no joke, especially on good days for Cancers."

Kuroko crossed her arms over her chest. "I am aware of that, Kise-kun. We played on the same team for three years."

"You were surprised," he interjected, "when you saw me get serious today. You didn't expect me to have improved that much. If I, a known slacker, got that good that fast, how strong do you expect someone that practices all the time like Midorimacchi to be now?"

Her stomach dropped. She hadn't thought of that. _How good is he now? I am beginning to worry about Taiga-san…_

"Anyway," Kise continued, "my life kinda sucks right now. First you turn me down, and then I lose the game. I didn't really expect you to say yes, but I was serious. I'm still in love with you, Kurokocchi, and I want us to be on the same team."

Kuroko sighed. "Kise-kun, the Generation of Miracles only play well if they are all separate or all together. That is part of the reason we split up, right?"

"And my confession?"

"I do not feel that way for you."

A dark chuckle escaped the blond's throat. "I know that already. You love Kagamicchi, right?" When her face flushed, he chuckled again. "I knew it. But that's not the real reason I brought you out here today."

"Then why?" she demanded, face still scarlet.

"I wanted to ask you why you disappeared after the middle school championship."

* * *

Kagami walked into a park on his search for Kuroko. Like she'd asked, he said that she'd been having stomach problems recently and it would probably take her a while in the bathroom. He promised, however, that he would walk her home, and walk her home he would.

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar flash of blue standing in the park next to Kise. They both had intense looks on their faces, though Kuroko's face was slightly red. _Why?_ "I wanted to ask you why you disappeared after the middle school championship," Kise said.

"I am not sure," she replied.

"Eh?!"

"It is true that I began to question Teikou's policies because of the championship game. I felt we lacked something."

Kise scoffed, "Sports are all about winning. What could be more important?"

"I thought the same thing until recently," Kuroko admitted. "All I know is that I hated basketball at that time. I started playing basketball because I loved it, but I hated it then. That is why I was so impressed when I met Taiga-san. He loves basketball from the bottom of his heart. He seems to have gone through some hard times, but he takes basketball more seriously than anyone I have ever known."

"I don't get it," Kise said. "What do you see in him that you don't see in me?"

"He is passionate about basketball. You are only passionate about winning."

Kise chuckled darkly. "Let me tell you one thing. If you only care about Kagamicchi for his love of basketball, be prepared to be left in the dust. He'll leave you eventually, because he won't need his shadow anymore. It'll be just like with you and Aominecchi."

Kagami felt his eyes widen. _Why would I leave Tetsu-chan? I'm _really_ pissed off now!_

"I believe in Taiga-san," she said just as Kagami was about to punch Kise's lights out. "He is different from Aomine-kun and he is different from the rest of you. I made a mistake in being too submissive with Aomine-kun, but it is different now. I have learned from that mistake and I will not allow Taiga-san to go down your path."

Kagami decided to go for it. He strode to the two former teammates and lifted Kuroko, making her squeak. "Found you. I promised the others I'd walk you home tonight." Then he turned to Kise. "Hey."

"Hello, Kagamicchi."

"What the hell're you doing, kidnapping Tetsu-chan and putting weird ideas in her head?"

Kise stumbled back slightly. "Y-you were listening? How much did you hear?"

Kagami growled, "I heard you tell her that I'd leave her in the dust just like Aomine did."

The two argued for a bit about Kuroko before Kagami turned. "C'mon, Tetsu-chan…WHERE THE HELL DID SHE GO?"

"Hey, you bitch, this ain't your fight!" a voice rang out, causing both guys to turn their heads to the court. A thug held Kuroko up by the front of her shirt, leering at her perversely. "If ya don't go away, I may have to teach ya a lesson."

Kagami and Kise both bristled at the sight of some weird guy holding Kuroko. They hopped the fence just as the leader of the thugs was saying, "Why don't we just settle this with some basketball?"

"I'm in," Kagami said as he grinned, throwing an arm around Kuroko's shoulders. Kise flanked her other side, glaring menacingly at the thugs. "Is three-on-five okay?"

The thugs seemed momentarily shocked that the slight girl in front of them had two giant friends, but they agreed.

Needless to say, the group of three was walking away only five minutes later, having defeated all five of the thugs. The three street ball players that had originally been there watched them walk off into the sunset wondrously.

"What were you thinking?" Kagami snarled at her as they walked. "Did you really think you'd be able to get away from them if they tried something on you?"

"No. They would have molested or raped me before I would have been able to get away."

"DON'T BE SO FREAKING CALM ABOUT THIS!" Kagami roared.

"For once, I agree with Kagamicchi," Kise said. "Kurokocchi, you're too precious to too many people to put yourself in danger like that. I have to go home now, but I need you to promise me you'll be more careful."

"I make no such promises."

"You bitch!" Kagami roared once again.

"Kagamicchi, please watch over Kurokocchi," Kise asked seriously.

Kagami scoffed. "I was gonna do that anyway."

"Goodnight, Kise-kun. Have a safe trip home!" Kuroko called as Kise jogged to the train station.

The first-year duo walked in silence for the rest of the trip back to Kuroko's house. It was a simple one-story home with white siding and a grey roof, and there was a colorful flower bed in the front yard. Kuroko reached under the welcome mat to retrieve the spare key. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea, Taiga-san?"

Kagami shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Kuroko led him into her home. The main entryway only had women's shoes in the pile, and Kuroko had to dig through said pile to find a pair of house slippers big enough for Kagami. She flipped on the light switch and quietly called out, "I'm home," before she led him into the living room. "I am going to put my bag in my room real quick. I will be back soon."

Kagami took the chance to look around her living room. The walls were painted the same light blue color as her hair, which he found amusing. There were dozens of pictures littering the walls, most of them being of nature or of Kuroko. The couch was well-worn, but in a comfortable way, like it had been the host of several late-night chats between family members. There was a TV in the far corner, hinting that it was rarely used, and a single bookcase rested in the opposite corner.

When Kuroko reappeared, she was wearing a black pair of short cloth shorts and a yellow tank top, her breasts much more visible now that she had apparently shed her sports bra. Kagami went red rather quickly. "W-what the hell are you wearing?"

"These are my pajamas. I will go make the tea now. You can look through some of the photo albums to keep you busy if you like."

So he did. He grabbed an album from the bottom shelf and started leafing through it.

The one he'd grabbed spanned Kuroko's three middle school years. There were several pictures of her with the rest of the Generation of Miracles and a girl with long, pink hair. One showed the seven of them asleep on a large futon on the ground with Kuroko in the middle. One had them celebrating in a fast food restaurant Kagami quickly identified as the one he and Kuroko frequented after practice. Another showed them at a beach, and Kagami felt his face heat up at the sight of Kuroko in a dark blue bikini.

He was just turning the last page when Kuroko came back into the room with two cups of tea. The last picture showed Kuroko and a tall, extremely tanned boy with dark blue hair and eyes asleep on a couch together, their fingers intertwined.

"That is Aomine-kun," she informed Kagami as she sat down. "Satsuki-chan, the girl with the pink hair in the other photos, took that after one of our practice sessions."

"Were you two dating?" Kagami asked in what he hoped was a casual manner, taking a sip of his tea.

"After I joined the basketball club at Teikou, the coach made a rule that said members could not date each other. That is, honestly, the only reason we were not dating." She ducked her head and refused to meet Kagami's eyes. "I thought I loved him and that he loved me. He was merely obsessed with winning and thought that if I was happy our team would benefit from it."

"Oh," he said lamely. "I'm sorry."

"Do not be. You and he are not the same." Kuroko took a long sip of her tea before she looked at the time. "My mother should be getting home soon. If you do not wish to be interrogated until midnight, I suggest you finish your drink quickly and take your leave."

Kagami took this warning to heart and immediately began gulping down the tea. "Thanks."

"I will walk you to the door," she offered. They both stood and walked to the entryway. They stood there awkwardly for a moment while Kagami tied his shoes up. "Thank you for walking me home, Taiga-san."

"It was nothing," he mumbled. Suddenly, he felt a soft, warm sensation on his cheek. "E-eh!?" he exclaimed as Kuroko pulled back. _She just kissed my cheek!_ His face lit up like a stop light.

"That is your reward for winning," she said bashfully, folding her arms behind her back, unaware that that only made her look even cuter. "I will see you on Monday?"

"U-uh, yeah. In school. Good night, T-Tetsu-chan."

"Good night, Taiga-san."

* * *

**FLUFF!**

**Word count not counting the title and ANs: 2,989**

**Next chapter is "Dad"! That's gonna make me crack up SO hard.**

**Also, fujoshi is a term for a yaoi fangirl. Let that sink in for a moment.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	6. The Shinkyou Seirin Match Part 1

Chapter Six: The Shinkyou-Seirin Match Part 1 

**Hello, all my lovely readers ****J**

**I'd like to thank konan248, Seangeline Akira, luchiaseirin, hitomi65, and Kichou for their reviews!**

**In this chapter, we're gonna see that Kuroko isn't as oblivious to love as Kise thinks~**

* * *

_Kagami raced forward to dunk the ball when it bounced off the rim._

_With one second left, Kise leapt up to try to block it. "I won't let you do that!" he screamed. However, Kise began falling quickly while Kagami kept going up._

_"This ends now!" Kagami roared. He slammed the ball through the hoop just as the buzzer went off._

Kagami's hand came down onto the bald head of his homeroom teacher as he dreamed about Saturday's game. _This ball feels weird,_ he thought to himself, opening his eyes.

His teacher was not amused. "How dare you sleep in my class? Come to the faculty office later!"

As the teacher walked away, Kagami looked behind him, to where Kuroko was sleeping peacefully on her desk, a strand of hair in her face. _Why didn't _she_ get in trouble?_

Of course, all of the teammates were tired. They'd just played one of the Generation of Miracles only a few days ago, after all!

* * *

During lunch, Aida called the first-years out into the hallway. As usual, Kagami was in the lead, followed closely by Kuroko who was sleepily rubbing her eyes and yawning. "What d'ya want, Coach?" Kagami asked.

"Go buy some bread."

"Eh?"

Aida explained, "On the twenty-seventh of every month, the cafeteria sells a special kind of bread that's said to bring you luck in any of your endeavors. We want you to eat this bread to build up on your momentum."

"So we just gotta buy some bread? It'll be no sweat…ma'am."

Hyuuga stepped forward and gave Kagami an envelope. "The second-years will pay for this. If you fail, I don't need the change back. I'll just make you do three times the strength exercises and footwork. Good luck to you guys." As the determined first-years walked away, Hyuuga turned to Aida. "You are a very sadistic person, aren't you?"

"I try!" she chirped. "I'm gonna make this a tradition."

* * *

The first-years (minus Kuroko, who they'd lost on the way to the cafeteria) stared in horror at the sight before them. It seemed like every student (and a group of teachers) in the school was having a free-for-all over the bread. Kagami thought he even saw someone with a knife! It was rather terrifying.

"This is chaos!" one of the first-years exclaimed.

"We have to go!" Kagami protested. "Three time the strength exercises and footwork will kill us!"

One of them rushed forward headlong into the crowd, though he was nearly thrown out by some of the rugby members. Kagami then rushed forward with a little more power, but was thrown out halfway through. As he sat on the ground, he exclaimed, "This is Japanese lunch time rush!" in English.

"You're acting American now?"

The group tried another three times together, but nothing seemed to work. Eventually, Kagami picked one up by the scruff of his neck. "Basketball isn't the only thing I learned in America!" He threw his teammate on top of the crowd and jumped on his back.

"He's crowd surfing!"

"Yeah, Kagami! Ride those waves!"

Eventually, though, both members were consumed and spit back out by the crowd. Kagami again exclaimed, "This is Japanese lunch time rush!" much to the irritation of his fellow members.

Kagami sighed and stood, brushing the dust off of his pants. "I guess we're all gonna die now. Do we still have the envelope?"

"We gave it to…" one first-year trailed off.

"KUROKO-CHAN! Where is she?" another exclaimed.

"Excuse me," a voice said behind them. All four of the other first-years turned around quickly to see Kuroko standing here with a bag full of bread. "I bought it."

"How?" Kagami demanded.

"I got in line, and the flow of the crowd pushed me to the front. I left the money and picked up the bread and came back here."

After a stunned moment of silence, Kagami laughed and ruffled Kuroko's hair. "Good job, Tetsu-chan."

The first-years took the bag full of bread up to the roof, where the second-years were waiting. "I thought we were banned from the roof," Kuroko said quietly.

"So?" Aida replied. "Good job, everyone! Dig in!"

"You mean…"

"You guys can eat it," Izuki said, waving his hand dismissively. "Mitobe made lunches for us to eat while we waited.

After a brief pause, the first years jumped into action. "Should we take turns?" "Who should go first?" "It's gotta be Kuroko-chan!"

Kuroko took one of the pieces of bread. "Itadakimasu." She took the first bite.

"Well?" one of the first-years asked eagerly.

Her face lit up. "This is unlike anything I have ever tasted!" She quickly turned to Kagami. "Taiga-san, you must try this!" Before he could respond, she stuffed the bread into his mouth, forcing him to either bite a piece off or choke to death.

"It's delicious!" he exclaimed after he swallowed. "Man, gimme one of those!"

* * *

"Why'd you come with me, Kuroko-chan?" Aida asked as the two girls sat down in the Shinkyou bleachers. "Not that I'm complaining or anything!"

"I just wanted to talk to you about girl stuff," Kuroko admitted shyly.

"Huh?"

"Well, the only other female friend I have had is going to another school, and the only person I really hang out with outside of school is Taiga-san, but this matter is regarding him, so I think it would be kind of awkward if I went to him about it."

A feeling of glee washed over Aida as she looked at the first-year's flushing face. "You like Kagami-kun, don't you?"

Kuroko's face got even more flushed. "Yes."

"Have you done anything about it?"

"I kissed him on the cheek on Saturday after he walked me home."

Aida punched her shoulder lightly. "Good for you. Did he mention it today?"

Kuroko shook her head. "No, he has not."

Aida growled. "He's an idiot, you know! All guys are! I've had a crush on Hyuuga-kun since last year, and he hasn't noticed at all!

"W-what should I do, Coach?" Kuroko asked desperately. "I do not know how to get a guy to like me!"

"Don't worry, Kuroko-chan. Aida-sempai will help you out!"

* * *

At practice that evening, they discussed how the Inter-High tournament worked. If they lost even once, they were out, so they couldn't afford to make any mistakes. "We fell one step short last year," Hyuuga was saying, "but we'll definitely go this year! Our biggest opponent will be Shutoku, one of the emperor schools. Like Kaijou, they have one of the Generation of Miracles on their team. If we can't beat them, we won't go on to nationals."

Suddenly the gymnasium door opened and Kuroko and Aida walked into the gym. The coach was rather downcast while the passer was as calm as ever. Kuroko instinctively walked to stand next to Kagami while Aida took her place in front of the team. "We can't be thinking about Shutoku when our first match isn't looking to good," she said solemnly.

"What do you mean?" Hyuuga asked.

"One of their players might give us trouble," she said.

"He annoyed me," Kuroko told Kagami softly. "He treated me like a child and tried to pick me up."

Kagami couldn't help but laugh at that mental image.

Aida gave Hyuuga her phone. "Just look at him!"

Hyuuga, who seemed to know his way around the coach's phone, flipped it open and went straight to her pictures. It opened on the last picture she'd been looking at.

Kuroko's face lit up and she tried to snatch the phone away from her captain. "Such a cute kitty!" she cooed, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room. When she noticed their stares, she flushed and hid behind Kagami.

Aida waved her hand dismissively. "Sorry, it's the next one."

Hyuuga nodded and scrolled sideways.

The player was honestly terrifying. He was tall and had dark skin, and his face was, to them, oddly shaped. "That's Papa Mbaye Siki"

"Two meters tall, weighs, 87 kilograms," Kuroko said. "He's an exchange student from Senegal."

"So what?" Kagami demanded. "He's big. That doesn't mean he's good."

"His arms and legs are long as well, and he's fast."

"Papa Mbaye, was it?" Izuki asked.

The team started making puns about the foreign student's name, irritating Aida to no end. "Kuroko-chan called him 'Tou-san' earlier, so that's what we'll call him. Any questions?" When no one spoke up, she continued. "People aren't tall enough to block him, so he's almost unstoppable."

"We can't just do nothing!" Kagami protested.

"Who said we would?" Aida smirked. "Kuroko-chan and Kagami-kun will have their own training regimens starting tomorrow. Preliminaries start on May sixteenth! Until then, you don't have time to complain. Am I clear?"

"Yeah!" the team shouted in unison.

"And Kagami! Pushups, now!"

"What?" Kagami screeched. "Why, Coach?"

"Because you're an oblivious idiot!"

* * *

The days seemed to fly by with how intense the training was. Kuroko found it rather difficult to concentrate when Kagami wasn't around, so she was thankful that she just had to run. Kagami, on the other hand, went through defense training with Mitobe so he could guard Tou-san during the match.

On the sixteenth, the team met up in their jerseys. Something seemed different about Kuroko, though—her sweatpants were looser on her legs than they usually were. Kagami also noticed that her hair was starting to get longer and she had to pull it back into two extremely short pigtails at the back of her head to keep it out of her face.

"Alright, the gang's all here! Let's go!" Aida cheered.

As they walked, Kuroko gave Kagami a knowing smirk when she saw his eyes. "You were too excited last night, were you not?"

"Shut it, Tetsu-chan," he replied lamely, making her giggle.

As the teams warmed up in the gym, Kagami found it kind of strange that Kuroko kept her sweatpants on instead of taking them off so she was just wearing her gym shorts. Before he could comment on it, though, a loud bang echoed through the near-empty gym. "Ow."

Everyone looked over to see Tou-san ducking through the doorway. "Everything is so small in Japan," he said in broken Japanese.

"No, you're just freakishly tall," one of his teammates teased.

"I'm sorry for being late."

"Why is that the only thing you can say fluently?"

Tou-san started walking towards the locker room, but he ran into Kuroko. "Hello, Kuroko-san. Are you really playing today? I don't want to hurt you."

Kuroko glared fiercely at him, making even Kagami recoil. "I refuse to be treated like a child, Tou-san. I will win this match against you and show you what a girl can do."

"You _really_ don't like to lose, do you?" Kagami asked when Tou-san walked away.

"No, I do not."

"Well, you'd better take off those damn sweatpants. You can't play in them."

She flushed suddenly, taking Kagami off-guard. "I suppose you are right." She walked over to the bench and pulled down the sweatpants.

Instead of her usual basketball shorts, she was wearing a black and red short pair of cloth shorts, reminding Kagami of her "pajamas" from when he went to her house. "Wh-what the hell are you wearing, Tetsu-chan?" Kagami demanded angrily.

"Coach said that she was worried about me tripping over the shorts I usually wear because she thinks I got skinnier so she bought me these. I feel very embarrassed, though. It feels weird to be wearing these on the court again."

"What do you mean?"

"Back in middle school, the Generation of Miracles unanimously decided to have me wear this style of shorts instead of the style they wore."

Aida blew her whistle. "Good luck, everyone! Do your best!"

* * *

The game was, for lack of a better word, intense. Kagami quickly found out that Tou-san's height was not to be underestimated. So he went with what Mitobe taught him.

_Take him out of his comfort zone. Don't let him go where he wants to go and don't let him move the way he wants to move. Make him miss._

And so he did.

It was working pretty well, too. Tou-san was starting to get angry, much to the dismay of his teammates.

At one point, Kagami began boasting. "Let me tell you two things, Tou-san. First, I'll block one of your shots during this game."

"Yeah, right," Tou-san scoffed. "I won't lose to a team with a girl on it."

Kagami grinned. "Second…"

Kagami dodged out of the way as Izuki passed to him, the result being that the ball flew straight at Tou-san. _Lucky_! the foreign student thought. Just as he was about to catch the ball, however, a blur of blue got in front of him and redirected the ball to Kagami.

"That girl's gonna give you a hell of a time!" Kagami finished as he dunked the ball through the hoop.

Still on the ground, Kuroko grimaced. "I have a name, Taiga-san."

Tou-san stared in shock at the pair.

* * *

**Crappy chapter is crappy…**

**Word count not including title and ANs: 2,168**

**I added the part where Kuroko and Aida go scope out Tou-san's school and Aida giving Kagami pushups at the very end, because the thought of it amused me.**

**I hope you liked it, and I hope the romance isn't getting to prominent in the story. I have a thing with romance, and I feel like it has to be included fairly early in the plot or people will ignore it. **

**Please review!**


	7. The Shinkyou Seirin Match Part 2

Chapter Seven: The Shinkyou-Seirin Match Part 2

**Hi, everyone! *waves at computer screen like a derp* I'm sorry for the pause in updates, and I'll be really busy over the next few weeks, so don't expect much more. There's gonna be more KagaKuro fluff today, and Kagami's gonna get his first look at Midorima.**

**I'd like to thank hitomi65, Kichou, , Held Together With Tape, aki(guest), JJ(guest), Day-DayRyoshka, Dareagon, and konan248 for their reviews.**

* * *

The Shinkyou captain was pissed. It was one thing to be good at basketball, but it was another thing altogether to be a short girl and be good at basketball. Who did this number 11 bitch think she was? He caught the ball. "Let's give it back to them!" he shouted at another player, passing the ball.

Before they could react, Kuroko was between them, passing the ball back to Kagami. He grinned and dunked it once more. The crowd was awed at the display. _That's two dunks in a row! This is only the first round of the preliminaries!_

"Is it just me, or is Tetsu-chan on her A-game today?" Kagami whispered to Hyuuga.

Hyuuga grinned and called out, "Are you really that mad about being called a girl, Kuroko-chan?"

"I am mad that I was underestimated because of my gender," she said in an icy voice, making all nearby shudder violently. "After today, Tou-san will not make that mistake."

At the end of the first quarter, the board read 8-23 in Seirin's favor. "Kuroko-chan, you have a time limit, so we're swapping you out here. We're gonna lose some power mid-game, but don't let them close the point gap. Their only dangerous player is Tou-san, so it comes down to how well Kagami-kun handles him."

"Just leave it to me," Kagami assured.

"Good luck, Taiga-san," Kuroko said quietly, gripping the back of his jersey as they moved out on to the court. "Do not let Tou-san get to you."

"Please, I was _born_ lucky."

As the game went on, Kagami got more and more aggressive with his blocks and shoots. Tou-san was making even fewer baskets than he had in the first quarter, and Kagami was getting even cockier.

At 5:08 in the fourth quarter, the score was 51-60 in Seirin's favor. Aida was starting to get worried. _We can't cut it this close, not in the preliminaries._ "Kuroko-chan, are you good for the last five minutes?"

"I have been ready for a while now, Coach."

"Sorry, sorry." Then a thought came to her. "Kuroko-chan, come here."

"Yes, Coach?" she questioned, leaning closer.

Aida cupped a hand over the first-year's ear. "When you stretch before you go back out, try arching your back a little. Kagami-kun will _definitely_ notice!"

Kuroko flushed and nodded.

"Player switch, Seirin!"

Koganei openly stared at Kuroko's chest when he walked back to the bench after seeing her stretching display, making Kagami growl. _No one should stare at my Tetsu-chan like that. Wait, "my"? Why did I add that possessive?_

Kagami forgot all about the stretching when the game resumed. Kuroko was back to full power after being benched for so long.

Tou-san, though, refused to quit. "I don't want to lose!" he whined in the last seconds. "I won't lose to a little girl!" He jumped to shoot.

"You say you're disappointed in the Generation of Miracles!" Kagami snarled, "but you overestimate yourself!" He jumped as well. "Compared to them, you're an easy opponent!" And he smacked the ball out of the foreign student's hand as the buzzer sounded, fulfilling the first thing Kagami said would happen in the game.

The final score was 67-79 in Seirin's favor.

Kagami whooped and picked Kuroko up in a lung-crushing hug, which she eagerly returned. "We won!" he cheered.

"Did you ever have any doubts?" she laughed.

They didn't notice the green-haired young man watching the entire thing. Midorima smirked and pushed his glasses up his nose.

* * *

After they showered in the locker room, Kagami and Kuroko were packing up their bags. Kuroko noticed Tou-san walk up first and nudge her partner with her elbow. "He wants to talk to you."

Kagami nodded and stood up.

Tou-san regarded him coolly for a moment before saying, "I lost."

"Huh?"

"Play well in my place for the next game, Kagami-san. I'm rooting for you." He held out one of his dark hands.

Kagami grinned and took it, and the two shook hands. "Thanks for the game, Tou-san."

* * *

As the team changed, a quickly-dressed Kuroko approached Kagami, flushing slightly. "Taiga-san, I have a favor to ask."

"What's up, Tetsu-chan?" he asked, pulling his shirt down over his head.

"Uh," she stuttered, refusing to meet his gaze, "Okaa-san would like to have you over for dinner tonight."

There was a moment of complete silence as the rest of the team stared—for several reasons.

Kuroko was blushingKagami was blushingKuroko just asked Kagami to have dinner with her motherKuroko talked about Kagami enough at home to have her mother invite him over for dinner

After that stunned, silent moment, Kagami nodded his head. "Uh, sure. What time?"

Kuroko smiled, something that was an even rarer treat to the Seirin team than her flush, as she often blushed from exertion during practices. "We usually eat late, so around seven should be fine." She spun on her heel and announced, "I have to leave early today, so I will see you at school on Monday." With that, she strode out of the room, an odd air of confidence in the air around her.

* * *

Kagami had never been so nervous in his life.

He stood at the front of Kuroko's now familiar house, tugging nervously at the collar of his shirt. He'd decided to wear a button-down shirt to dinner with her family, and he was starting to regret it. _What if she's wearing sweats? Man, I look like an _idiot!

After a few moments of deliberation and a quick run-through of several excuses he could make to get out of this meal (one of which being calling the coach and begging her to give him more exercises), he choked down his fear and knocked on the door.

When the piece of wood swung open, it revealed what appeared to be an older Kuroko. The woman was just a bit shorter than her daughter, though her face was much more open, revealing her jubilance. There was paint smeared on the pale skin of her face and all over her blue jean overalls and her hair was tied in a messy knot at the top of her head. "You must be Kagami-kun!" she chirped, gripping his arm and pulling him inside. "I didn't realize how late it got! Please, come on in! Tetsuya's getting dressed in her room, so she'll be down in a minute. I'm going to take a quick shower. Make yourself at home!" With that, the woman dashed up the stairs.

Kagami silently wandered into the living room. It was much the same as when he'd visited before, though this time there was a new picture on the wall. It was actually a painting that, from the scene he'd just witnessed, Kuroko's mother painted. The paining showed Kuroko asleep on a white wooden bench, her face serene. Kagami felt his face heat up drastically and he looked away from the image.

"Taiga-san?"

His head turned instinctively towards the sound of his name spoken in that soft voice of his partner's. She was wearing a simple black blouse and a white skirt, a far cry from what he usually saw her in. Even though she _did_ wear the girl's uniform at school, it wasn't very feminine, but this…

Her head cocked to the side. "Taiga-san, are you well? You look rather flushed."

Kagami mentally swore at himself. "I'm fine, Tetsu-chan."

She looked at him inquisitively for a moment before she shrugged, the action causing her shirt to lift and reveal a sliver of her midriff and making his face heat further. _I've seen her half naked plenty of times, so why the hell am I so flustered now?_

Kuroko turned to look at the painting he'd been observing. "Mama painted that the day after you visited last week. She likes to paint a lot. Right now, she is painting a mural on the bathroom wall, so you will have to use the bathroom on the second floor tonight. I apologize for the inconvenience." Then she turned to look at him, and her face went bright red as well. "You look very nice tonight, Taiga-san."

"Thanks."

Then Kuroko's mother came back downstairs, her long teal hair wet and sticking to her skin and the fabric of her simple white-and-pink polka dotted dress. "Sorry for the wait!" she gasped breathlessly. "I use heavy duty paint!"

"Mama, you still have some purple in your hair," Kuroko droned, an amused twinkle in her eyes.

Her mother's hands flew to her hair dramatically. "Oh, the horror!"

Kagami barked a laugh, which in turn made Kuroko giggle slightly. Her mother's eyes lit up at her daughter's giggle. "It's nice to meet you, Kuroko-san," he said, extending a hand, which the older woman took.

"Oh, Kagami-kun, please call me Ayumi. Now, what are you doing standing up? Sit down, sit down!" Ayumi's rather forceful hands pressed onto his shoulders and forced him to sit on the loveseat. Kuroko quickly sat next to him to avoid receiving the same treatment. "So, you're on the basketball team with Tetsuya, right?" she continued, sitting on the chair. "She's been talking non-stop about you!"

Kuroko's face went red. Kagami smirked at the sight before he replied. "Yeah, we're on the team together. We're partners."

Ayumi nodded. "Yeah, you're about the right height," she mused, giving Kagami a cursory glance. "Tetsuya's always been drawn to tall people."

"Mama!" the girl in question exclaimed, embarrassed.

Ayumi's broad laugh filled the room, and Kagami felt compelled to laugh along with her. "Don't worry, Tetsuya! I'm only teasing! So, Kagami-kun, when did you start playing basketball?"

"Uh, I lived in America from third grade until my second year of middle school. I had a hard time making friends since I was foreign. One day, a kid came up to me and asked me to play street ball with him. He was way better than me, so he helped me learn. Then I met Alexandra Garcia. Man, she was the _best._ She was a WNBA player, and we _begged_ her to help us. After a while, she agreed. I had to leave earlier than I thought I would, though, so I haven't seen either of them in two years."

Kuroko smiled slightly at his story, though only Ayumi noticed. The older woman grinned and stood, stretching. "I'm gonna start dinner now. Tetsuya, I know you've told him about why you left Teikou, but why don't you tell him about the good times?"

Kuroko groaned dramatically at her mother as she disappeared from the doorway. "Would you really like to hear some stories?"

"If you don't mind, yeah," he admitted shyly.

She sighed and settled back onto the loveseat cushions. "When I first entered Teikou, I skipped the opening ceremony and went to the gym to play my version of basketball. My friend, Ogiwara-kun, usually played with me, but we were going to different schools. While I was practicing, I noticed someone watching me. He walked up to me and asked me what my name was. He introduced himself as Akashi Seijirou, and he demanded that I join the basketball club. When I asked him why, he said, 'You love it, right? If you love it, you should try to reach your full potential. I can help you do that.' So I went to the head coach and signed up."

Kagami laughed.

"Once, during a practice match in our first year, Aomine-kun and I were placed against Midorima-kun and Murasakibara-kun. They did not like each other much, but Akashi-kun insisted. So, while we were playing, Aomine-kun slipped away and took Midorima-kun's lucky item off the bench. That day, it was a plush alligator. Midorima-kun immediately became frantic, and he was about to injure Aomine-kun before Akashi-kun stepped in.

"Another time, after Kise-kun entered Teikou, I was helping him train. He and Aomine-kun wear the same size of shoe, so they often just grabbed one another's shoes when they were in a hurry. As revenge for taking the alligator, Midorima-kun had put tacks in Aomine-kun's shoes. However, Kise-kun grabbed Aomine-kun's shoes that day. The result was quite humorous to everyone but Akashi-kun, who threatened all of us with his new pair of scissors."

"Scissors?" Kagami questioned.

"Akashi-kun constantly carries a pair of scissors to help keep a hold on his underlings," she explained. "He can be quite frightening at times."

Kagami quirked an eyebrow but said no more as Kuroko continued regaling tales of the Generation of Miracles. She even had some pictures of the events, such as the time when Akashi and Murasakibara fell asleep on each other's shoulders on a bus ride. Watching her eyes and face as she spoke made him smile. At least all of her experiences at Teikou weren't terrible.

After about fifteen minutes, Ayumi poked her head out into the living room. "Dinner's ready, you two!" she told them happily. "I made my special curry!"

The two basketball players were off the couch and in the dining room in an instant. Kagami had never seen Kuroko move that quickly for food, he mused. He found out why as soon as he took a bite. "Ayumi-san, this is delicious!" he praised, shoveling more of the delicious substance into his mouth.

Kuroko laughed slightly, as she was eating like a more civilized person. "Taiga-san, if you eat too quickly, you will get hiccups."

Kagami made an acknowledging sound in the back of his throat but made no attempt to slow down.

Ayumi smiled at her daughter's exasperated sigh. "How does my cooking compare to your mother's?"

"I wouldn't know," he said in-between bites. "My parents are still in America, so I live alone."

Ayumi gave a dramatic gasp. "Why, that won't do! You'll have to come over for dinner more often, Kagami-kun! I need to make sure you're eating right!"

Kagami laughed at that, a loud, bawdy laugh that almost shook the house. "That's fine with me! I haven't eaten anything this good in a long time!"

Dinner went on the same way as it began, and Kagami went for seconds, thirds, and fourths of the curry. Luckily, Ayumi had made enough curry to satiate Kagami's hunger and have enough left over to send home with him. Afterwards, they retired to the living room and talked some more. Kagami was surprised at how at ease he felt in the Kuroko house, and he even felt himself leaning back into the cushions with Kuroko, who was starting to nod off.

She woke up, however, to see Kagami off. The two walked to the entryway in a comfortable silence, something Kagami had gotten used to since he'd met her. "Thank you for coming over tonight, Taiga-san," she said sleepily as he put his shoes on. "You will come over for dinner again sometime, right?"

"Hell yeah," he replied. "Your mom's cooking is awesome!"

She smiled, her sleep deprivation quite obviously tearing down her walls. "That is good. I liked having you over. It made me happy to see you laughing with Mama. It made me feel all warm inside."

Kagami flushed at her sleepy talking. There was no way she would ever say any of what she was currently saying if she were awake. He felt bad, as if he was taking advantage of her sleepiness to hear things he liked—and he _did_ like what she was saying. "That's nice, Tetsu-chan. I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

Before he could leave, though, he felt the slight pressure of Kuroko's fingers on his elbow. "Taiga-san, why have you not mentioned when I kissed you on the cheek last week?"

He froze. "W-Whataya mean?"

"I kept waiting for you to bring it up. Coach says that all boys are thick and immature, and she says that she has been waiting for Hyuuga-sempai to notice her for the past year. I do not want to have to wait like that. Do you not like me or something? Because I like you very much and I would be sad if you did not like me the same way."

Kagami's face closely resembled an apple by this point, his flush reaching all the way to the tips of his ears. "Tetsu-chan, I'm not going to have this conversation with you when you're about to pass out. If you wanna keep talking when you're awake, that's fine. I'm gonna go home now. I'll see you on Monday."

"Okay. Goodnight, Taiga-san." Even as he turned, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek softly before yawning sleepily and moving to go up the stairs.

* * *

The next morning, Aida woke up to a text message. She rose from her bed sleepily and lumbered to her phone and flipped it open.

_New message from Kuroko Tetsuya  
Subject: Help, please  
Message: Coach, I messed up! What do I do?_

Aida quickly asked her what happened, and laughed out loud when she received the story from Kuroko. She sent her kohai one final message before she went down to the kitchen to scavenge some breakfast:

_Sent to Kuroko Tetsuya  
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Help, please  
Message: Don't worry. From what you said, Kagami-kun likes you as well. Don't dwell on it too much, though. We need your head in the game. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye __ ～（ゝ。∂__）_

* * *

They soundly defeated their next few opponents, thanks to the first-year duo. Despite the sleepy words shared at Kuroko's house, they were strictly professional on the court, something that the rest of the Seirin team was thankful for. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after that first week, Kagami came over to eat at Kuroko's house for dinner, which delighted Ayumi. The older woman always made sure Kuroko was dressed cutely when Kagami was over, as she was very supportive of the relationship she knew was just around the corner. If asked, she would simply say that her "mother's intuition" was telling her so.

However, there was a concern shared by the two females of the Seirin team. Both Aida and Kuroko noticed that the rest of the players were beginning to get cocky—_especially_ Kagami. Kuroko realized with a start that this was how Aomine had started to change. Her resolve steeled further to not let him go down Aomine's path.

One day, as they were packing up after a match, Kuroko motioned the coach over. "Coach, Shutoku will be playing here shortly. I think it would be beneficial to the team to watch them."

"Okay," the second-year said after a moment. She blew her whistle, catching the team's attention. "Seirin! Shutoku will be playing here soon, and we're gonna watch them! They have a member of the Generation of Miracles, Midorima Shintarou, on their team, so it'll be a good thing to be able to watch him play!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the team said as one. When they filed into the bleachers, Kagami made sure to sit next to Kuroko, and she unconsciously scooted closer to him. Aida smiled at the action.

When Shutoku came in, she went into analytical mode. "Kuroko-chan, what's Midorima-san like?"

Kuroko deliberated the question. "He was Teikou's star shooter. He tapes his fingers to protect them, which Kise-kun constantly teases him about. He is a very superstitious person and checks his horoscope every day, even going so far as to carry his lucky item of the day. He is a nightmare on a good day for Cancers."

Aida nodded and turned her attention back to watching Shutoku warm up. Midorima's bespectacled gaze turned up to the bleachers and focused on Kuroko in a clear message: "Let's talk."

Kagami stood with Kuroko, and she gave him a puzzled glance but kept walking. When they got to the floor, Midorima jogged over to meet them, face serious. "Hello, Midorima-kun," Kuroko said politely, bowing slightly at the waist. "It is nice to see you again. This is Kagami Taiga-san, my partner. Taiga-san, this is Midorima Shintarou, my old teammate."

"Nice to meet you," Kagami said out of courtesy, holding a hand out for Midorima to shake.

Midorima ignored him completely, keeping his gaze on Kuroko. "How have you been, Kuroko-chan? Kise didn't say much last time we met…I assume you have the proof?" Kuroko's face heated at the statement, earning a chuckle out of the green-haired shooter. "I'll take that as a _yes_."

She crossed her arms grumpily and pouted, which Kagami found very amusing because of how little and how much it suited her face. "I am fine, Midorima-kun. Why are you asking me, anyway? We were never close in middle school."

"Boss's orders," he shrugged, though the tension in his voice couldn't have been hidden by the best actor in the world. This observation was further proved when Kagami saw Kuroko stiffen, back going straight. He fished his dark green phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants, flipped it open, and showed Kuroko a certain conversation.

_Sent by Akashi Seijirou  
Subject: Tetsuya  
Message: Hello, Shinatrou. I trust you are well. I heard from Ryouta that you were playing against Tetsuya tomorrow, so I'd like you to ask her how she's doing. She hasn't contacted Daiki or Atsushi, either, so I'm a bit concerned._

_To Akashi Seijirou  
Subject: Re: Tetsuya  
Message: Why don't you ask Kise? He talked to her recently._

_Sent by Akashi Seijirou  
Subject: Re: Re: Tetsuya  
Message: He only spoke to her for a bit and he's too blinded by his affection for her to really tell how she is. You and she were never close, so you'll be better to tell if she's happy or not._

_To Akashi Seijirou  
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Tetsuya  
Message: Will do._

Kuroko read through each message carefully before she handed Midorima's phone back to him. "Please tell Akashi-kun that I am fine. Seirin is good to me. Taiga-san is utilizing my abilities very well, as are the other members of the team. The coach is strict with us and has difficult training regimens for each of us. I am not getting bullied or hit on, and Taiga-san and Mama are making sure I eat properly. I have no friends outside of the basketball club, so he does not need to worry about tracking people down. Did I miss anything?"

Midorima pondered her words for a moment before shaking his head. "You got it all. I'll report back to him after my match. Are you going to watch?"

Kuroko nodded, moving closer to Kagami so that their arms brushed, which did not go unnoticed by either male. "I thought it would be beneficial to us. I know that you have watched us before, so consider this making it even."

A dark chuckle escaped Midorima's lips. "Yes, I suppose you could call it that." He turned his back to them and started walking away before he suddenly stopped, turning his head to address the two. "Try not to get discouraged."

Kagami shot Kuroko a look as they walked back up into the bleachers, but didn't say a word.

* * *

Afterwards, the Seirin team left, feeling melancholy. "Wow…" Koganei whined, leaning against Izuki for support (to which the other second-year glared). "That Midorima sure is good…"

From her usual place beside Kagami, Kuroko said, "Well, he _was_ the star shooter of the Generation of Miracles. As Kise-kun predicted, he has gotten much better. It will be difficult to defeat his team."

"Plus, we're playing Seiho the same day we play Shutoku," Aida said. Everyone in the team voiced their displeasure (except for Kuroko, who simply let her eyes widen slightly as she tried to rein Kagami in so he didn't horribly maim their coach). "Oh, stop complaining! We'll just have to keep Kagami-kun and Kuroko-chan on reserve during the Seiho match so they're ready for Shutoku."

"But, Coach," said Kuroko softly, as if she was sorry she was upset, "do you not think that two back-to-back games with two Kings will be tiring for the team?"

"If I had it my way, we wouldn't be playing both of them, either. But we have to if we wanna make it to Inter-High."

The team nodded as one and parted ways, going to their respective homes for a well-deserved sleep.

* * *

**Long chapter…**

**Word count not including title and ANs: 4,040**

**So, how did you guys like this chapter? It was mostly filler with some KagaKuro fluff, so I don't really know what to think of it. I'm thinking about a major relationship upgrade for Kagami and Kuroko happening after the Shutoku match, but what do you guys think? I'm also just going to have one chapter for Seiho and one chapter for Shutoku instead of having four for the two matches.**

**As always, please review to tell me how you think I did.**


	8. AN

**A.N.: Hey, guys! You have ****_no_**** idea how sorry I am, but the word processor on my laptop is being really crappy and that's where I have all of my KcnY stuff, so I won't be able to update it until it starts behaving. TT^TT~**

**I wanted to let you know that it will be updated, though, so please don't give up hope on this! Instead, to keep you guys satisfied until my laptop starts working, please know that I will be taking one-shot requests! Just send me a PM of what fem!Kuroko stuff you want to see and I'll write a quick one-shot and post it here!**

**With love,**

**LittleMissWolfie**


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